


Bright Waters

by Kt_fairy



Series: Like real people do [1]
Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction, The Hobbit RPF
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Blow Jobs, Developing Relationship, Emotional Constipation, Emotions, Falling In Love, Intercrural Sex, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Sex Toys, Sexual Content, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-29
Updated: 2014-01-31
Packaged: 2018-01-06 13:02:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 51,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1107150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kt_fairy/pseuds/Kt_fairy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lee never dreamt more would come from a kiss than a slap in the face. The struggle to be at peace with being in love.</p><p>Now FINISHED</p><p>And also, thanks to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/users/queenmab_scherzo/profile"> queenmab_scherzo</a> lovely suggestion the fic now has a humble<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrleydRwWms"> theme tune</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He was expecting the sharp intake of breath, for strong hands to grab his upper arms, for shoulder muscles to tense under his hand. 

He only had a vague hope that he wouldn’t be pushed away, so he took the stillness as a good sign as he trailed his hand up the smooth skin of the other’s neck to cradle the side of his head, thumb stroking a stubbed cheek as he leaned in for another kiss.

Well, the ‘first’ one had only been a slightly nervous, gentle press of his lips against the others but to Lee it still counted because he had been thinking about it for ages. Well a week, but in the grand scheme of the constantly expanding universe and of time constantly slipping away it was an age.

He had only pulled back enough to give Richard room to push away, to panic, to gabble in shock and trip over himself in a rare display of ungainliness to get away. Richard did not kiss back at first, but his head did tip up slightly to let Lee get better access which only added to the teetering pile of Lee’s hope and dignity, but when Richard’s warm lips cautiously moved against his Lee was shocked into pulling away so he could gauge exactly how far he could push this. The gentle light that bounced off the water of the Bay caught Richard’s wide, clear eyes and turned them the palest shade of silvery blue as he blinked up at Lee. There was confusion and panic writ large across his face as those long fingered hands moved to rest on Lee’s chest, no pressure behind them to push Lee further away. 

Lee was going to say something, he did not know what- was just going to open his mouth and hope something calming and slightly charming came out. Then Richard gasped in a shaky breath, his tongue darting out to lick his top lip and Lee was gripping the other side of his head and crushing forward into the heated kiss he had always imagined himself planting on Richard after a perfect declaration of the fact he wanted in Richard’s pants almost as much as he wanted to slob around in yoga pants and watch crappy films with Richards head rested in his lap while he played with his hair. Not seemingly out of nowhere in the middle of their run at the side of a road that desperately needed resurfacing somewhere in a Wellington Park.

He felt himself groan as Richard let his tongue into his mouth, pressing forward to taste and touch and feel as much as he could, in case this was all there would be with such force Richard had to stagger a step backwards. Lee followed intently, a hand that was buried in Richard’s thick, soft hair moving down to grip his elbow to steady them both. As much as he would like to end up in a bush with Richard he doubted that would go down very well at this point in time…or ever. It was only as he was marvelling at the strength in the arm beneath his hand that he realised Richard was shaking, little tremors racking his arms and lips and abdomen, everywhere Lee was pressed against him. 

He froze, the pit of his stomach churning in on itself as a string of ‘fuuuuckfuckfuck’ went though his mind. If he had misjudged this then, well, he would just have to get on the next plane out of New Zealand. If Richard even mentioned that Lee had...to anyone he would be out so fast it would be like he was never cast. Not that Richard would say anything, but the chemistry that they had been developing on and off camera, which Peter was so excited about, would be shattered. Lee would rather give up on the whole thing than not be able to give the best he could, rather than see he had hurt anyone let alone gentle, kind, bashful Richard. So Lee let go and slowly stepped away. 

Richard blinked at somewhere in the vicinity of Lee’s chest before dropping down onto one of the low concrete bollards that blocked off a private road. Lee had a moment of panic where he thought Richard had collapsed and stepped forward to catch him when he was pinned to the spot by blue eyes looking up at him from beneath dark lashes.

“I…I’m sorry Lee I don’t…”

“No, no don’t apologise Richard. This is on me, I shouldn’t have…Christ I should have asked I got so carried away I though…I thought you were just surprised.”

“I was- I am…still a little shocked. That came out of nowhere.”

“I… did it? I mean I didn’t think I was being that subtle…”

Richard flushed, the tips of his ears under messy hair going a delightful shade of pink as he looked down at his hands. “I can’t say I noticed. I…sorry about that.”

“Stop saying sorry Rich, you can’t help that you don’t…” He let out a wobbly sigh, realising he would probably cry at some point in the near future, “… don’t return my feelings.”

“What?”

“What?”

“What?” 

Lee could not contain the slightly hysterical laugh that forced its way out of this throat as Richard grinned up at him. “Lee, I don’t not reciprocate… probably as much as you, um…do in the first place. Judging by, eerrr…” He flushed darker as he glanced up at Lee, looking hopeful that he understood him.

“Okay.” Lee was not going to let things get awkward again; nothing had ever been awkward with Richard. So he cleared his throat, stepping backwards as he took one of Richards’ hands in his own and bowed deeply to the seated man. “Will you do me the honour, Mr. Armitage, of accompanying me to an establishment that has beverages of the hot or alcoholic kind for sale so that I may purchase one for you?” 

The awkward tension was broken, and they were back to how they always were as Richard let out a startled laugh, pulling his hand back from Lee with an exaggerated look of horror on his face when he made to kiss his knuckles. “FOR SHAME MR.PACE!” He shrieked in a higher register than Lee thought was possible for someone with such a deep voice. 

“That a yes?” Lee had to ask after what had just happened, had to double check that is was all actually okay and not just Richard being polite and awkward- because in all honestly Lee would not put that past him. 

“I would love to, Lee.” Richard said as he took a gulp of water, eyes downcast self consciously as Lee stared at him. 

“Alright! Err, I mean…when is good for you?”

“What about now, after we’ve gone ‘round and back into Wellington?” Richard suggested lightly as he stood.

“We’ll be all sweaty!”

“Speak for yourself, elf.” Richard grinned as he began jogging backwards up the road.

Lee just sighed. 

“Keep up, then!” He called; turning in one graceful movement and shooting off up the hill with long strides.

Lee started off after him, swore, ran back to pick up his own water bottle then sprinted to catch up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which people already know something is up, and Lee is soppy about Richard

  Lee knew he looked like an idiot, half in his costume with only one ear on (the other had come off when the crown was whisked back to the props department and he had been too hungry to go get it stuck back on straight away) at an empty table in the rapidly filling Craft Services grinning down at his phone. He could almost hear the sighs and rolled eyes through Richard’s text messages from the night before.

 They had been out to dinner at Arbitrageur on the other side of the bay to celebrate the third day of actual official ‘omg we’re literally doing this now shit’ filming. It had been two weeks since the kissing incident and although Lee did want a repeat performance, at times desperately when he remembered how warm and soft and sweet Richards’ mouth had been, Lee restrained himself.

  They had spent time together every day since then: getting lunch in the breaks between training or costume fittings or screen tests, going for a drink after work mostly on their own- sometimes with the other Dwarves who seemed to have sensed something was going on and were keeping an eye on their leader, or that one Saturday where they ate too much Pizza and rolled around Richard’s living room feeling very ill and uncomfortable but not regretting it for a moment. The happiness he had felt then was eclipsed when last night Richard’s warm hand found his out as they had strolled back along the bay to the studio to pick up their rides home.

  Lee had insisted on giving Richard a lift as it was dark and he was going to cycle but Richard had just tutted, pecked Lee on the cheek and hopped onto his bike to zoom off into the dark.

 **I keep endin up watchin you disappear @ hi speed when/e we mke physical contact.** He had texted when he got in the car.

 **I only did that twice.** Was flashed up on his phone when he had parked up outside where he was staying.

**Rele? Wish it ws more. “Hate to see u go, Love to watch u leave.”**

**Goodnight, Lee.**

**Glad 2 c u ddnt die cyclin around in the dark.**

**Goodnight Lee**

**U ddnt hv a helmet on eithr.**

**I was on the pavement. Only thing that would have hit me after midnight in W is you.**

**Xactly!!!!!**

**Next time you can drive me home.**

**WOOO!**

**Lee. Goodnight.**

**Goodnight Rich, tonight was amazing.xxxxxx** ‘You are amazing’ he wanted to type, but Richard would only have imploded with awkwardness so he saved it for when he could say it to his face.

**It was, wasn’t it. x**

“Hey Dad, you alright?” Orlando breezed into the seat opposite him, breaking Lee from his thoughts as they started chatting about the wigs and Andy and if Lee had found the good restaurants in Wellington yet.

 “Hey, this’ll give you hope for the industry.” Orlando announced as he dropped his fork onto the table.

“Oh yeah?”

“You must have faith, father! No, but- Typecasting: you know how John was a good few inches taller than me and he was Gimli…”

“Gee, I didn’t notice most of our Dwarves are huge!!”

“Not that! If Peter casted like anyone else Dickie Armitage would have your job. He was a dancer you know, back in the day.”

“I did not…”

“Was in the circus before that, the acrobats taught him to…acrobat?...tumble! when he was about…17 or something.”

“Really?...Who told you?”

“Adam, he’s my neighbour. He knows everything.” Orlando’s innocent mask slipped for a second, but that was all it took.

“What else has he told you?” Orlando just shrugged. “Oh god.”

“Everyone in the studio will know something is up before the end of the month trust me. Luckily Kiwi’s are pretty live and let live- if this was LA then EVERYONE will know… just be careful with him Lee, the Dwarves have bigger weapons than us.”

 So now Lee had a vital mission, a life and death question that would change the course of his life- Could Richard still do the splits and could he show me now please thanks?

\-----------------------------------

“It’s open!” Answered his knock on the door and he hesitated a moment as to why the hell Richard would let just anyone into his house before pushing the door open.

“Lee it’s o…hi.” Richard beamed at him from where he had his head poked out of the kitchen door before disappearing back in.

  Lee shucked off his shoes into the pile by the door and dumped his coat over the table Richard kept his keys on and let the heady smell of tomatoes, garlic and chorizo guide him. He took a moment to watch Richard pad bare foot about the kitchen in a pair of shorts and a hoodie that had seen better days.

“I’m making dinner, it won’t be as good as last nights but it’s something.”

“I’m sure it’ll be amazing. How did you know it would be me?”

“Hmm…”

“At the door?”

“Everyone else uses the door bell.”

“You have a doorbell?”

Richard laughed, nodding as he drained the pasta. “It’s at normal person height, oh hello.” He leaned back slightly against Lee as he came to wrap his arms around Richard’s narrow waist.

“You mean short person height. We’re the normal ones here.” He did not miss the look Richard directed at him, but chose to be the bigger man as he watched Richard cook. He always said he was useless in a kitchen, could just about feed himself, but what he cooked was a long way away from the Ramen and Mac n Cheese from a box Lee used to live off when he was young and useless. He always cooked so much of it too, even more than Lee could eat after a whole day in training, not that he complained as he usually got to take most of the extra home with him.

“You don’t eat a lot.” Lee declared to the comfortable silence that had fallen on them.

“…is there any more to that?”

“I just…you tend to eat more when I eat with you.”

“Then how can you tell I don’t eat a lot…”

“Rich!”

“I just forget.”

“You forget to eat…?”

“Yeah.”

“…that’s not what my poor choco…”

“Well there is food, and then there is Ice-cream!”

Lee pressed his face into the side of Richards’ neck, breathing in the faintly damp, coconut smell that came with him after he had jumped out of the shower. “But seriously, Rich. You should probably eat a little more of all this stuff you make.”

Richard tensed against him, taking in a deep breath that seemed to make him disappear from under Lee’s hands as he spun in place to glare at Lee. “Who told you?”

“Who told me what?”

“Don’t be cute, Lee. Who told you?”

“Honestly! Richard! No one said anything to me about anything.”

Richard leant back against the cooker, running a pale hand through his closely cut hair. “Fuck.”

“Look, you don’t have to tell me.”

“But you’ll wonder about it.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you have to tell me.” He expected Richard to look at him then, but he kept his gaze turned to his shoes as a shaky sigh escaped him.

“In training, Dwarf Boot-Camp, I maybe fainted a little. Because I forgot to eat…”

“You did what!”

“I’ve already been told off by twelve dwarves…and Martin.” Lee pulled Richard into a hug because now he was going to worry and shit having a conversation with Martin was scary enough at times, let alone getting told off by him! “Hey, I’m not gonna tell you off. Just…just don’t let it happen again.”

“I woooon’t” Richard sighed from where his cheek was rested on Lee’s shoulder.

“Am I gonna have to keep reminding you to eat or shall I just hide chocolate everywhere?” He meant it as a joke, but was painfully aware that it fell very flat.

“It’s not I forget. I’m just used to not eating…well I was, I suppose it’s a habit now. When I was young and jobbing in London there wasn’t always money for food and rent. So I just got used to being hungry I suppose.”

“And that is nothing to be ashamed of. And you are not going to be out of work anytime soon, either; so plenty of food.” He felt Richard begin to curl in on himself and pulled back to hold his head firmly in his hands, waiting until Richard looked at him. “I promise you that will never happen again. You are an amazing actor, I promise, I’m not even lying just to try and ‘fix you’ or get in your pants or whatever. I mean it.”

Blue eyes blinked at him, “You want to get in my what?”

Lee had to laugh, leaning his forehead on Richard’s. “Please tell me you know what that means.”

“Yeah…why would you say you want to get into someone’s trousers when you mean to get into their pants-pants. Underwear, you know?”

“I..I do but I’ve never given it that much thought if I’m honest.” Lee chuckled, holding Richard still when he tried to turn back around. "I would reall like to kiss you."

Richard made to speak but stopped himself, several emotions flitting through his eyes before he swallowed, running his tongue over his lips. “If you want.”

“I do.”

Lee caught the ‘okay’ Richard breathed out with his lips as he kissed him gently, not trying to stick his tongue down his throat like before, Richards arms came up so he could press pull Lee closer with a hand on his back, keeping him in place with long, warm fingers wrapped around the back of his neck.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the cast are told to keep their noses out of other people's business and Richard has a moment

The heat coming off the pavement made Richard feel oddly cosy. He supposed the darkness helped and the comforting fuzziness of two glasses of red wine and pizza in his belly. He was not entirely sure why they had gathered out on the pavement outside Electric Avenue, or why he was suddenly reminded of London, or why Orlando and Adam were running off down the road away from Dean’s welcome party.

A strong arm was looped around his neck and he supported a warm back with his free hand as Aidan came to lean on him. “Uncle, beard’s comin’ along great!”

“Not as good as yours was.”

“Nah, mine looked like a cave man.”

“Noo!”

“Don’t try and make me feel better about my teen fashions, Uncle- I can accept my cave man phase.” Richard burst out laughing, Aidan beaming at him. “It’s growing out well. You got the good end of the gene pool ya bastard.”

“I wouldn’t go that far…”

“Didn’t uncle get the good genes, Dean-o?”

“Aidan!” Richard warned.

“I’d drink to that.” Dean beamed, already so comfortable in their company

“What are we drinking for now?” Jimmy asked across the huddle.

“Richard.”

“DICKIE” They all cried, those holding drinks raising them and those with cigarettes waving them.

“…Thanks.” Richard muttered as he felt his face burn, but he looked up smiling so everyone cheered again. 

Aidan let his arm slip from around Richard’s shoulder to light a cigarette, offering Richard one and raising an eyebrow when he said he didn't smoke any more. “Do’ya mind me smoking here then?”  
“Course not.” 

“Does Lee smoke?”

“Uuummm…”

"I know he smokes not cigarettes, if ya' get me."

"Not around me, yet."

“Do you smoke these not cigarettes?” Evangeline asked from next to him.

“No, too old.”

“You never did Doobies!” She whispered scandalised, grabbing his arm.

“What?...Doobies?”

“Yeah, Bhang, Dope…”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You’re all proper and English and posh!”

Richard and Aidan burst out laughing, attracting the attention of the others. “Eve, I’m from Leicester!” He laughed, slipping into the short vowls of and swallowed consonants of his father’s accent. “I’m very not posh!”

“I cannot believe you did that…”

“Not as a thing, I didn’t really like it very much. It was just passed around at cast parties when I was, eerrrm, on the West End. Well, dancers’ parties not even cast…”

“Do you mind Lee smoking it?”

“…why would my opinion have anything to do with Lee doing it or not?”

“You’re dating.” She said matter of factly, but everyone went quiet as Richard blinked at her.

“Excuse me?”

“Aren’t you guys…?” “I thought you guys were together?” “Are you not going out?” “I swear you guys have been on dates!” “Who’s going out with Rich?” “I have a day’s holiday, and look what happens!” “Have I met Lee yet?” Bombarded Richard as suddenly seven people started speaking to him at once. He began to back away from the group, feeling panic begin at the bottom of his sternum, ready to run home and hide. 

"Anything that Lee and I may or may not be dong is none of your business if we don't even know what's going on. I don't even want you all to know that!"

“Richard- guys be quiet- Richard.” Graham’s authorititive voice cut over them, firm hands holding Richards upper arms until he looked at him. “If you’re not, it’s fine. If you are, it’s fine. If it’s complicated, it’s fine. No-one will ask you about it again.” He looked over at the rest. “Will we?”

They all nodded at him eagerly over Graham’s shoulder, Evangeline and Jimmy looking especially worried.

“Who told you? Who.. who's been saying things?”

“No one has said anything, darling. We just…we assumed.” Evangeline said gently, touching his arm. 

“You’ve all talked about this?” 

There was a chorus of scandalised “No’s!” that clearly meant ‘Yes’ 

“We didn’t mean anything Dickie.” Graham tried his nickname, looking worried but hopeful. Richard blinked at him and tried to calm down, he knew freaking out would make it worse, it always used to at his first school. 

“I…I know. I know. Sorry I just…I don’t even know if we are anything but friends yet.”

“No, we’re sorry…”

“Let’s…no one has to be sorry. It was a misunderstanding.” He smiled at Graham, who grinned back and pulled him into a crushing one armed hug.

“Let’s go Nandos!” Aidan announced to break the tension, which was met with many groans and complaints of ‘we’ve just had Pizza!’

They all moved on soon enough, heading back home via another pub, and Jed fell in beside Richard at the back of the crowd, for once not talking a mile a minuet. Not that Richard minded Jed talking so much, it filled the silences his company so often brought as he had never been much of a talker. "We were only talking about it because we were happy for you."

"Jed, mate, you don't need to explain."

"No, no I do. The thought of your being angry, or worst disappointed with us, is very bad. Ya know? You're our leader..."

"I think that's Jimmy..."

"Nah, he's a great guy but I wouldn't punch a dragon for him. But for you, it would be on the cards."

Richard felt himself at a loss for words so reached out to grasp Jed's shoulder, letting out a very manly squeak when Jed pulled him into his side. "We are just happy that you two are being so adorable at the moment..."

"Adorable?" Richard asked, not sure how he could be classed adorable, but Jed talked over him.

"...and it's nice to see you worrying a bit less. You got us all concerned with the not unpacking nonsense, and don't worry us that know haven't talked about it to anyone. You're a great guy, a really great one, and we only want you to be happy and safe. So, if he hurts you in anyway take comfort in the fact we'll break his feet."

Richard smiled as he looked down at Jed and shook his head.

"I know you would, that's the worrying thing."

"Worrying, yet strangely comforting."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which relationships are discussed and towels are plentiful.

“I’m quite looking forward to your beard, ya know.” Lee announced from where he had collapsed back on Richard’s bed. The trailers on set were palatial in comparison to some he had been in but could still feel quite cramped if you were 6”4, and they felt especially cramped if there was also a 6”2 and a bit Richard in one too.

There was a garbled reply from the other side of the trailer, so Lee pushed himself up on his elbows to look over at Richard. “Sorry, I don’t speak towel.”

He stopped drying his hair for a moment to shout over, “You’ll regret that when I let it get to Tramp Beard over the breaks.”

Lee let the bubble of joy burst over him at the implication they’d be seeing each other over the breaks. “I might join you, have a Hobo-off!” He declared, Richard throwing his head back and laughed, letting the towel slip off his head. 

His dark hair was sticking up at any angle it pleased from rough towel drying, the skin on his face was still a little red from the prosthetics, but the shower had brought the brightness back. His body was all smooth planes of elegant muscle- even the bulk he now carried on his upper body to swing Orcrist around still moulded to his bone structure in elegant sweeps- his skin stupidly pale even under the electric lights. Lee caught himself staring at the point where Richard’s waist met the slight swell of his hips that disappeared underneath the towel wrapped around his middle. Lee forced his eyes go straight back up to Richard’s face, trying to look innocent, but he had been caught. Richard did not know quite where to look; he half turned back towards the shower, then made to go to the small closet opposite the bed, and then just stood in place slowly turning pink.

“I’ll go let you get changed…” Lee said gently, making to get off the bed.

“No, you don’t have to. You just look at me in a way I’m not used to.” He said quietly, starting to hunch over slightly like he always did when he was getting self conscious. 

“I find that very hard to believe.”

Richard took in a sharp breath he let out in a sigh and plonked down on the bed by Lee’s feet, trying to tame his hair into some semblance of order. “Not..not in person. On TV and... it’s a character they’re looking at. It’s not me.” His hand moved up to his face. “I mean I’m just the awkward, shy guy.” Lee felt a dopey smile spread across his face, moving so he could trail kisses along the soft skin of the pale shoulder nearest to him, nipping at the skin at the base of Richards’ neck to make him smile. 

“If this is what they’re looking at then it’s definitely you.”

Richard leaned back against Lee, tucking his head under his chin, “You have to say that.”

“No, no I don’t.” Lee whispered, “I’ve seen Luke giving you look’s like that, it’s not just me.”

“Luke looks at most people like that, it’s how he is it’s nothing to do with how I look.” Richard protested, not able to see the knowing smile on Lee’s face as he ran his finger tips over the smooth skin of Richard’s back and into his hair, tipping his head back to kiss him gently, his free hand coming to rest on Richard’s hip so he could run a thumb along the top of the towel. Richard groaned, letting Lee into his mouth as he reached back run his fingers through Lee’s hair, his other hand supporting himself on his thigh. Lee pulled away for air and moved back to the base of Richard’s neck, nipping along his shoulder until he could see his own hands running over the soft, warm skin of his torso. The only thing stopping Richard from being naked was that thin piece of cloth held up by sheer good will, all Lee needed to do was flick his wrist, push on a shoulder and Richard would be bare beneath him to touch and taste and mark, to make him gasp and moan- to watch him come apart for him.

Lee had to pull back when there was a throb between his legs, moving so they were no longer touching. “Shit Rich. You have no idea what you do to me.” He hissed when he caught Richards questioning look. “I had to stop, or I wouldn't have been able to stop.”

“Oh…”Richard breathed, letting Lee hold him at arms length as he tried to calm down. When Lee finally looked up Richard smiled, taking his hand and resting them in his lap. “You’ve most likely already guessed that I want to take this slow, it’s not just you- just because... I’ve taken all of my relationships slowly. I think intimacy should be between people who are… who love one another. We’re not quite there yet and I do like you- a lot- so, don’t get impatient with me because it will happen.”

“I’m many things but I sure as hell ain’t that much of an idiot. Luke would snap you right up.”

Richard blushed as he rolled his eyes at Lee. “I’m gonna get dressed, don’t look.” He ordered, pushing Lee back onto the bed and dumping the towel on his head.

“What if I do sneak a peek?” Came a muffled voice from underneath the towel, Lee lying motionless where it had landed.

“You’ll go blind.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a film is watched and couch times are had.

“What the hell is…oh goodness!”

“Are you hiding your face?”

“I’m not going to look at that!”

“Rich look at it.”

“No.”

“Riiiich…”

“Okay okay, just to stop you talking."

Lee grinned at the look on Richard's face and turned back to the screen just before the face appeared in the mirror. Amidst the rest of the screen's shrieks Lee felt Richard nearly jump out of his seat. "Fuck! Don’t laugh you bastard.”

Lee felt a fond grin spread across his face as he watched all 6’2” and a bit, thirty-nine year old Richard Armitage sink further down into to the seat, the screen lights colouring the pale skin of large hands covering his face. He lent across to kiss Richard on the temple and slip a hand into the crook of his elbow and turned back to the rest of the film. It wasn't even that scary.

“You utter bastard Lee!” He hissed when the twist at the end made the whole cinema gasp.

“I never knew you were squeamish!"

“That was just vile.” Richard sighed, still slumped in his chair and pulling a face at the titles.

“Possessed kids don’t appeal?”

“Surprisingly, no.” He scrubbed a hand over his face as a group of teenagers, well they were probably a bit older but Lee could never tell anymore, walked past having a good look at them.

“We’ve been spotted by kids.”

“Good…?”

“Is it?”

“Well it’s not like I was in your lap.” Lee waggled his eyebrows. Richard ignored him, standing and stretching out his long limbs as the house lights flicked back on.

“Hey, come back to mine?”

“I’m not watching anymore scary films.”

“Not to watch scary films. For a drink? I have wine” Lee stayed seated as Richard considered him for a moment, arms still behind his head with a pale strip of skin showing above his trousers that Lee was definitely not thinking about licking.

"I do need a drink after all this..." he indicated at the screen, "Demon rubbish."

Lee did not even mind that his cheeks were hurting from grinning all the way across Wellington. “You are going to hate this I know.” Lee declared as he uncorked the bottle of wine he had in case he ever got Richard back to his.“I’m an American that doesn’t know wine from shit but I tried.”

“I’m sure it will be perfectly passable.” Richard said gently as he took the offered glass of wine and waited for Lee to open his beer, watching Lee's throat work as he downed most of it- partly out of a sudden fit of nerves from the intent look in those blue eyes and partly because of the little thrill he got from seeing Richard looking at him like that. Lee put his bottle down on the counter and looked Richard over, noticing his untouched wine. 

"You’re not drinking it, it is terrible isn’t it?”

“I’m letting it air! You air wine, you need to let it get to ambient temperature."

Lee rolled his eyes and motioned for them to go through into the living room before he kissed those ridiculous words off his lips. Richard went straight to the wall and began looking through the DVD’s and books on display. For someone so self-possessed Richard could be quite nosey. Lee watched him from the sofa, the way his hip jutted out like a catalogue model as he scanned the tower of games, the way he carefully took large sips of wine, tiny sliver of tongue peeking out catch any stray drops, how he lent the rim of the wine glass against his cheek as he looked over the book shelf. Just looking at him sent heat straight to Lee’s groin.

“Richard.” Lee called, breaking the other man out of his thoughts, pulling his attention back to Lee with a slightly bashful smile, a faint wine flush on his cheeks. “Come here.”

He hesitated for a moment before taking three rolling strides over to the couch, letting out a surprised noise as Lee gently gripped his hips and pulled him forward until his legs were on either side of Lee’s. “ Lee.” Richard said his name so softly he thought his heart would outgrow his chest.

“I don’t want anything Rich, I just want to be close to you.” Lee whispered, placing his hands firmly on Richards back. Bright blue eyes were looking at him cautiously as Lee lent his chin on his warm stomach, giving a gentle tug down.

  After a moment Richard let himself be pulled to kneel across Lee’s lap, leaning backwards in a graceful arc to place his drink on the floor. The beat of his heart was thumping in Lee's groin and it took all his will power not to ravage the man on his lap.

“How close?”

“As close as you’ll let me.”

Richard frowned at him for a moment, looking like he was going to call Lee out on something and then stopped himself. “Do you really?”

“Come a few inches closer and you won't need an answer.”

Richard moved the hands resting on his hips around to his lower back and Lee took the opportunity to grab Richard’s ass, pulling his hips flush against him, hissing at the contact with his clothed erection. Richard gasped gently, blinking down at Lee with a guarded look in his eyes. “Am I being too forward?” Lee asked quietly.

Richard raised a perfectly arching eyebrow. “Is that a tree in your pocket or are you just very pleased to see me?”

Lee moved forward to brush his lips against the soft skin at the base of his throat, “I hope it's a bit of both.” He placed gentle kisses along the line of Richard’s open collar as Richard gasped out a laugh, scraping his teeth along the rapidly beating pulse on side of Richard's neck to make him groan. Lee craned his head back to look up at him, grinning as Richard took his face in his warm hands and curled over to kiss him.  He tasted of the spicy, fresh wine he had been drinking with the lingering sweetness of the chocolate he had eaten in the car and Lee moaned, he tasted how Thranduil's mouth should taste, and Lee had a moment to regret ruining his palate with beer before Richard undulated his whole body in one smooth movement against Lee’s, creating delicious friction that had all thoughts leaving Lee's mind.

  Richard moved his hands from Lee’s face to the back of the couch to get more stable as Lee guided Richard’s movements with the hands on his arse. The friction was good but not quite right, he took a moment to burn the image of Richard moving in his lap into his memory, the feel of him, hoping they could repeat this in more intimate terms, and used his planted feet and extra height to flop Richard down on the couch. Richard was laughing, all embarrassed and uncertain, as Lee moved so he could feel the heat of him against his hip, running his hands over the heated skin underneath Richard’s shirt, pressing opened mouthed kisses wherever he could reach. A violent blush had made its way to the very tip of Richard’s ears as he tangled a hand into Lee’s hair, meeting every slightly uncoordinated movement against him. Lee wished he had at least put the TV on to drown out the protests of the couch springs and the poor armrest he had planted his feet against for leverage, sure the awkward sounds would put Richard off. He abandoned the smooth heat of Richard’s abdomen and gripped his thighs so they could get better friction. An arm was suddenly hiding Richard’s face as he let out surprisingly soft little moans and Lee could not have Richard mortified, ever, but especially not now, like this.

“Richard, fuck, look at me Rich.” Lee panted against his forehead, taking a hand off a strong, firm thigh to grip his wrist. “Please darling. Please look at me.” After a moment of hesitation the arm was moved and Lee groaned as bright bashful blue eyes looked up at him, pupils blown wide as he panted little gasps through his kiss reddened lips.

 Lee rutted harder against him, trying to pull as many sounds from the man beneath him, knowing they would be bruised and tender tomorrow but sure he would never regret it. Richard’s hands scrabbled against him and suddenly his head was thrown back amongst the cushions and he tensed beneath Lee, eyes closed as a moan rumbled deep from in his chest.

Lee stilled, running a hand up Richards sides as he waited and was not disappointed by the slightly dazed, flushed look he got when Richard finally looked up at him. “Sorry, shit…”

"No, no. Thank you for letting me see that.” Lee moaned as he kissed any part of his face he could reach.

“Do you want me to…?” Richard whispered gently, working a quivering hand between them to palm at Lee’s erection.

“Nothing you don’t, ah, want to.” Lee panted as dexterous fingers got his zipper down and a warm, strong hand was fitted against him through the material of his boxers and it was too much and not enough and Richard panted against his ear and Lee came right there.

“Fuck, Rich…fuck. You are…shit god.” Lee growled against the soft skin of Richard’s neck, rubbing his check against the soft beard that he did love as much as he missed the gentle jaw line. Richard just let out a strange noise in the back of his throat, shifting against the cushions.

“I have not missed this feeling.” He muttered, pulling a face as Lee began to laugh.

“Player back in the olden days, were you?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe!” He could hear the smile in Richard’s voice and pushed himself up on his elbows to grin down at him, all messed hair and flushed skin and content grin on his face.

“How about we shower, put certain clothes in the wash, I lend you some pyjama’s, stay the night and I’ll drive you home in the morning.”

“…Do you mind?”

“Mind? Why would I mind?” Lee kissed him gently. “I get a great big warm teddy bear to snuggle!”

Richard raised an eyebrow, “Yeah…um...I’m disturbed now.”

Lee kissed the tip of his nose, his cheekbones and then his lips, basking in the afterglow and how relaxed this all was. “I would offer you my spare bed but it’s lost under my stuff…”

“Not enough funding for an expedition to find it.”

“Nope.”

“Ah well, just have to build a blanket division down the middle of your bed.”

“Awwwww!”

“Don’t call me a teddy bear again.”

“Promise!”

“Alright, now get off me.”

“So romantic.” Lee sighed as he rolled off Richard and onto the floor, much to the other man’s amusement. Lee knelt next to the couch as Richard laughed at him; shirt rucked up with already fading pink marks all over his neck, lips swollen, eyes bright and a stain appearing on his trousers. He had never looked better. Lee smiled fondly, running a hand through Richard’s short hair before nuzzling his nose against the side of his head. “I really like you Rich, a hell of a lot. I…” He loved him, as simple and as complicated as that, and he knew he did not need to say it. Richard was an actor, he could read people like a book if they let him. “I want to do so many things to you and with you, and I know that you would never allow half of them and that’s still perfect. I just want you to be happy; with or without me, that’s all.”

Richard seemed lost for words for a moment “…What are you thinking about that I wouldn’t let you do? Oh goodness, don’t answer that…we’ll talk about that later. Umm…”

“You don’t have to say anything, I just wanted to tell you. “

 

 

“That was a very nice thing you said, earlier, on the sofa. Thank you.” Richard whispered in the darkness of Lee’s room once they had showered, eaten more food, and finally got comfortable in Lee’s bed.

“I meant it.” He snaked an arm over Richards back as he curled around him, nuzzling into the back of his neck. “All my clever plan to get you into my bed so that I may keep you here forever! Muahahah.”

"Forever? Sounds messy."

"Idiot."

"Love you too."

"Di..." Lee paused, taking in what Richard has just said, examining it, making sure he had heard him properly and trying to calm to gabble of words trying to break out of his mouth. But he did allow a stupid smile to spread across his face and he curled himself tighter around Richard and buried his face into Richard's neck. "Love you too, so much..." He kissed the junction of his neck and shoulder. " _T_ _eddy bear."_

 “Fuck off Lee.” Richard muttered into his pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Tami is a friend, advice giver, and wine supplier.

“No I’m fine, I’m…really I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“I…I will be.”

Tami did that kind of sigh only women did, a sound that always made Richard feel like he was eight again with a bleeding knee crying to his mum.

“What?”

“You don’t have to be Thorin around me, sweetie. Just have to be plain ol' RIchard.”

“…I am really, really, REALLY, bloody phobic of water.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone!?”

“I’m not gonna be the wimpy actor that shuts down filming just because a river is running a little deep.”

“There’s being a wimpy actor throwing fits and then there’s turning grey, Rich.”

Richard looked up into the mirror at Tami, slightly surprised by how worried she looked, glanced across at Heather who was pretending she could not hear the conversation, and then at himself. He was mostly out of the prosthetic, just patches of glue and bits of fake face that had to be taken off, but the skin revealed that was usually blotchy red was, he hated to admit it, severely lacking in colour.

He unclasped his hands from his lap to touch his face and saw the instant Tami locked onto his shaking hands. “Oh Richard…”

“Please don’t make a fuss.” He whispered as she ran a gentle hand through his, frankly, quite sweaty hair.

“I won’t, and I won’t tell Pete unless he tries to get you back into river.”

“Tami…”

“Don’t do this to yourself, Rich.” She came around the side of him, furthest away from the others who were chatting away, and bent to look at him in the eye.

“You have nothing you need to prove to anyone on this set.” He nodded; letting his eyes fall back to his lap where his hands where clasped tightly to hide the tremors he had earlier brushed off as a chill from the river. “Tell you what, go back to the hotel and have a shower, put some comfy clothes on find some crappy TV- waste an hour, and I’ll come bring dinner, ‘kay?”

He hesitated a moment, ready to wallow in how useless he was for the rest of the evening, then gave her a small smile, “How will you find me if you don’t know my room number?”

Tami just laughed.

 

Richard was not ashamed to admit he had followed Tami’s instruction wilfully - with the slight variation of laying face down on his bed for twenty minuets to try and feel human again.

He was still slightly damp from the boiling hot shower when there was a slightly uncoordinated banging on the door. Tami was stood there balancing two pizza boxes in one hand, two bottles of red in the other and her bag on her elbow. “Girls night in!!” She announced loudly enough for Richard to cringe as he ushered her into his room.

“Don’t wake everyone…”

“Tomorrow’s been called off. Apparently the river's gonna flood like fuck, so day off and a bottle of wine each.” She waved them at him threateningly as he took the Pizza off her.

“I’d prefer not to spend my surprise day off hangi…” 

"Shhh, shhhh Rich. Shhh. Stop. We’re having a girl’s night in.”

He gave in with a sigh. “I don’t have…” Tami pulled out a box of brand new wine glasses from her bags that made him laugh in defeat.

Soon they were installed on the double bed, sat cross-legged against the head board trying not the get grease on the sheets with weird Kiwi TV on in the background as they chatted away about anything dumb they could find to talk about- which got increasingly more hilarious the more wine they drunk.

“I am going to have to do something serious about your hair, Mister.”

“What’s wrong with it…no what are you doing?!” Richard protested half heartedly as he was pushed and prodded until he was sat in as much of Tami’s lap his large frame would allow so she to pull at his lengthening hair. “I was gonna get it cut short again to fit under the cap…”

“No, you’re not doing that. You’re letting it grow, fuck me Rich your hair is so SOFT.”

“You can’t have it.”

“Awwwwwaahhh!” He burst out laughing, which made her laugh, and they had to save the wine from ruining the carpet and their clothes.

“Hey, next time we have more than twelve hours off and it’s not raining, you need to come to one of my beach parties.”

“ … I don’t like beaches…”

“But beaches love you! And so will my friends. Bring Lee he’ll like beaches he’s American.”

"Why will he like beaches because he’s American?” She waved off his question and poured more wine. “Just...just take him, they’ll like him more, he’s more party-ish than me.”

“Noooo, they’re my friends and you’re my friend and I like Lee but you’re my friend so they’ll love you. They’ll love to spoil you.”

“Spoil? You mean get drunk. Like this. Like you’re doing now.”

“No!...yes. But with Tequilla.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh _yes_.” She was grinning at him as she downed the rest of her glass and put it down heavily on the bedside table to casually ask. “How is Lee, by the way?”

“Okay, glad to be back with his dog, half-not glad to be back in New York.”

“Not sad to be away from you?” She said nonchalantly, halving her last Pizza slice to push at Richard.

“…I suppose.”

“Suppose? Whaaaat? Don’t you talk?”

“Well yeah. But we're so busy, we were busy here but…so…I don’t see why he should miss me we talk as much as we do here.”

Tami gave him a searching look before grasping his arm gently. “What’s got you worried, sweetie?”

“It’s not, not…I’m sure…his ex, Carter, is in New York. I’m not jealous or anything…am I ? Am I being paranoid?”

“I don’t know Lee as well as I know you, but he doesn’t seem like the kinda guy to fool around while he’s with someone.”

“I know…” His face stilled to an almost mask like calm that meant he was working up the courage to say something, so Tami carried on sipping her wine and nibbling her Pizza crusts until he took in a sudden deep breath. “He’s not getting…urhhh…I don’t let things get too intimate with someone until I know for certain that I do care for them. I love Lee but…”

“So you guys haven’t…”

“Well... yeah. But not...not _'properly'_. Not...there's no need, I know. It's just...I can tell Lee needs that extra bit of intimacy to make that final connection, to finally be settled. I have found that connection with him and I'm settled but I'm not where he needs me to be yet. I will be, I want to. But I can't...It's weird."

"No it's not."

"There is no pressure and Lee hasn't even hinted at it but...things were just easier for him with Carter."

" _Richard_! Love isn't about ease..."

"But it is when you have to move around the world every few months for a job. You know what it's like. You have to be stable and really emotionally committed to do this..."

Tami took his hand in her's and squeezed hard. "Lee looks at you like he's in a dream. That is something millions of people will never have. You're more guarded but I know you, you're feeling exactly the same way, even if you don't show it. This is something that stays with you, that changes you forever. Ease doesn't come into it, or continents or schedules. All you need is communication and trust...you trust him don’t you?”

Richard paused a moment and put his head in his hands. “Yes, yes of course I do. Lee is the last person in the world to do something like that, I’m just being neurotic.”

 

“Nothing wrong with having concerns, you’re a brand new couple working things out and you've never been on separate continents and you trust him, and he trusts you. That’s all you need.” Tami pulled Richard’s hands from his face and waited until he looked at her. “You have nothing to worry about. Because you are worth the wait, if you were a woman it would be Lee who should be worried, I’d be all over you!”

 A flush crept up from the neckline of his t-shirt to the tips of his ears as he began to giggle. “If I was a girl I think I'd let you.”

“Thanks Rich.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Come here.” Tami announced slightly more loudly than she meant to as she dragged Richard into a awkward hug, squeezing him as tightly as she could as she whispered against his cheek, “Beach party, Rich. Beach party!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll come get sand in my hair.”

“Your grown hair!”

“I won’t make any promises.” He groaned, slipping out of her grip to lie on the bed, kicking the comforter until it covered Tami’s legs and most of himself.

“You know, I don’t think I’ll be dry for… for this whole shoot.” He announced, fingering the still damp hair behind his ears. “If I’m not drenched in sweat, I’m soaked with fake rain or glacial river water from the North pole.”

“Oh Baby! Ohhh dear!” Tami teased as she pinched at his cheeks. “You do know we’re in the southern hemisphere?”

“Don’t care. It was cold, that’s all that matters.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's all give three cheer's for Tami Lane because she did a top job, as always, with the prosthetics on these film.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Richard is dragged out, Luke dances, Richard is dragged home, Lee comes back and sillliness ensues

  The studio was planning to send a car to get Lee from the airport, it was simpler than filing expences for taxi's plus, Jed claimed, they could track the actor's with greater ease- not that they did not trust them not to run off or anything. But, after a phone call with Lee and a afternoon of radio silence Sebastian was shoving fuel claim forms at Richard and texting him flight numbers and directions to the airport. An airport that was right next door, Richard could be a little unobservant at times but he had not failed to notice the planes taking off over the studio ever twenty minuets. His suspicions were confirmed when his phone pinged...

**About 2 gt on plane @ LAX. Thanks for coming to pick me up, doll xx**

**  
**Richard sighed and slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket.

 

“So, I have a job after this.” He announced to Graham as they shared their usual post-filming drink on the steps of his trailer.

“Oh great! I didn’t know you’d been auditioning, what is it?”

“Lee Pace’s bloody chauffeur!”

Graham burst out laughing, clapping him on the shoulder. “Sounds like good work, won’t be too hard on the ankles- just what you need after all this running around!”

“Yeah, a nice break.”

“When you going to get him?”

“Well he’s not in the air yet…LA is about fourteen hours away…I don’t know.”

“Should you check?”

“….”

“You gonna wing it?”

“My day off tomorrow, he can lump it!”

“Gonna come out with us tonight? Before Lee steals you away?”

“He doesn’t...he doesn’t steal me away!”

“We know. I don’t think you’d ever let him.”

“You’re all my friends, you’re my company.” He rubbed at his mouth self consciously. “When…when I felt like I couldn’t do it you all had so much faith in me. That means more than anything, Graham.”

“Feeling’s mutual, Rich. Don’t you forget it!” Graham said softly as he bumped his shoulder against Richard’s, grinning into his beer as Richard waited until he was taking a drink to bump him back. “So, you are gracing us with your presence?”

“Yeah, why not.”

“Martin is coming so you better or he’s going around yours to get you.”

“…when are we meeting? Am I okay like this?”

“Perfect, just don’t let Tami know or we’ll have to wait an hour while Make-up gets you ready for a night out.”

“It wasn’t an hour.”

“Chris went to your house to pick an outfit!”

“…still wasn’t an hour.”

 

They started out at a pub down the road from the studio they usually drank at, then made their way to a bar which was quite full and became unbearably packed when thirteen dwarves, a hobbit and a Luke Evans wedged themselves in there. Richard was happier than he had been in a while in a press of people; he always had a glass of something good and red in his hand and someone speaking to him. Sometimes he had no idea what people were saying as it was crowded and music was playing and they were usually a lot shorter than him but he was enjoying himself.

  He didn’t quite know what the time was, or how late it was, or how much he’d had to drink but he was sure he had not bought a round yet so it was not a silly amount. Luke had an arm slung around his shoulders, and Jimmy was talking a mile a minuet to Aidan who was seemed to be limbering up for some reason and, oh, they were going to a club. “I don’t…”

“No.” Martin barked from infront of him.

“But…"

“No, you’re coming to show us these famous moves Armitage.”

“Don’t argue with 'im or he’ll carry you in, ya' know what he’s like.” Luke advised as they bypassed the queue and sauntered straight in.

The music was loud, the beat constant and so strong Richard could feel it against his chest. It was dark around the edges, lights swinging over the moving mass on the raised dance floor and the smell of booze and sweat light on the heated air. Luke still had his arm around his shoulders as they made their way past the dance floor and up the stairs to the Mezzanine VIP area. “See, we make sure you’ll be comfortable your majesty.” Richard could hear the grin in Luke’s voice as he whispered in his ear. Richard pushed him away with a smile, only to have Jed grabbing his arms and demanding he came and danced.

“I need…I need a drink first. A DRINK. SEE YOU DOWN THERE.” Richard shouted, ducking back as Jed tried to ruffle his hair.

“Rich, drink?” Luke called over the heads of the crowd of them heading back to the dance floor.

“Where’s the bar? I’ll get it.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, need something with Vodka in it if I’m gonna dance.” Martin’s startled laughter followed him to the VIP end of the bar where he was sure he paid for more than their drinks but what the hell, spread the wealth.

 Four Vodka and something sweet later he was judged drunk enough for Martin to drag him down on to the dance floor, complaining all the time about the music and the fashion and "I will fucking bleach your bloody clothes to get some colour in your fucking wardrobe.” Luke bumped into his back, wrapping his arms around Richard’s waist and said something against his neck that he could not hear over the thudding music. He grabbed one of the hands at his stomach and spun out in the narrow space Martin had cleared through the dancing masses. Luke was beaming at him as Richard began dancing backward, pulling him along by their joined hands as they tried to sync their movements, Luke even tried to twirl Richard which they did quite well considered the heigh differences- Graham still laughed at them.

  After a while Richard bumped into Martin, which made Luke dance into him and after a slightly awkward moment, dip him with a flourish. Graham burst out laughing again, turning them both around to face Martin’s muted swearing and Aidan and Dean's muted comments as the music was suddenly deafening. Being a Dwarf certainly made clubbing easier, the heat was nothing compared to running around in full costume and prosthetics, the crowd bumping into them comfortable compared to them all squeezed into Bag End or the hell that was the Goblin Caves. Somehow the others lost Richard, Adam and Luke at some point. How he never knew but a mix of alcohol, caffeine and energetic small people dragging him around probably had something to do with it. He was all for going back up to the VIP area but Adam wouldn’t let him- much to Luke’s amusement- when a group of women became attached to them and Richard was far too old and far too tired for this.

  Martin soon came to rescue him, shouting about ‘fucking 2am’ and ‘your bloody boyfriend’ over the music as he dragged him outside and into a waiting Taxi.

“So, fucker, finally get you out with us and you bloody run off with the first group of women you meet.” Martin declared when they were safely in the back of the car.

“I did not run off, you lost us. And it was Adam and Luke not just me.”

“Didn’t put up much of a fucking fight with Luke dragging you around, did you?”

“I have red wine, vodka and bloody…coke or something I don’t know in my system. I am going to be hung over tomorrow and I’ve gotta go get Lee. I wasn’t going to not have a good time.”

“Fuck you! Not good enough are we Bitch under everyone's Moutain?!”

“You know what I meant Martin.”

“Yeah.” He patted Richard’s leg. “So what was their names? Anyone ‘nice’?”

“Martin!”

“Hey, attractive man like you can pull even through the beard.” Richard rolled his eyes at Martin who was grinning unrepentantly. "What are you going to tell Lee?"

 “That I went out and Martin threatened me onto the dance floor and then lost me and some lovely women with amazing hair kindly kept me company.”

“Not gonna mention Luke? Honesty is best in a relationship but I’ll keep it our secret.”

Richard blinked at him, totally lost for a moment. “Luke? what do you…”

“You’ve got lipstick on you.”

“You’ll have it on you too, one day, without warning.”

“You threatening me to keep your sordid secret, Armitage?”

“Maybe…it wasn’t sordid!” Richard sat up from where he was leaning against the door. “It wasn’t, was it? Fuck you Martin, I never go on the internet I don’t know!”

Martin was cackling, head thrown back against the head rest and waving a finger at Richard. “They could not make you up.”

Richard sighed and sunk back down into his seat. “Why would they?”

                                                                                                   -------------------------- **  
**

 Chocolate brown hair, beard, ray-bans, pale skin, taller than nearly every one in arrivals- Lee felt himself sigh at the sight, manoeuvring his suitcase so he could trail it after him as he covered the distance across the polished floors. 

 Richard’s face split into his five year old’s beaming smile when he finally caught sight of Lee and pushed himself off the pillar he was leaning on to hug him. Lee buried his face into the soft skin of his neck and inhaled- citrus, sandalwood, alcohol and a faint hint of Richard’s own scent- it was the best thing he had smelt since he left New Zealand; even better than New York hot dogs. “I've missed you so much.” Lee growled, squeezing Richard tighter so he could confirm the firm, elegant body of his memory was not a trick of the mind.

“It’s been insane since you left, I’m glad you’re back.” Richard’s voice rumbled through him, speaking of a late night and lots of shouting.

“Not so mad that you couldn’t go out.” Lee teased as he pulled back slightly.

“Martin insisted. It did me good though, blew off some steam”

“How drunk did he get you?”

“Don’t worry I’m just tired.”

“Why didn’t you send someone else to get me?”

“I wanted to see you.” Richard admitted quietly as Lee’s heart leapt in his chest.

“Well I’m glad you did. If you could be waiting for me at the end of every flight then screaming kids would be a joy.”

“The lack of leg room a delight!”

“Tiny toilets enchanting!” Richard burst out laughing and Lee found himself staring at him, grinning stupidly, because he was stupidly happy to be stood in an airport with this man.

“Come on, I don’t want to have to put another hour on the car.” Richard sighed, holding his hand out for the suitcase- Lee just smiled smugly and laced their fingers together instead. Richard hesitated, smiled, and tugged Lee to follow him.

  He had missed Richard with an ache only Carter had really caused in him before. That usually only went away when they were wrapped in crumpled sheets with goose bumps forming on his arms as the sweat cooled on their skin. The ache of missing Richard had gone as soon as he had hugged him, only leaving a slight warm feeling in his gut and that ever present need to get his hands all over Richard. “How was your night out?”

“Good, spent most of it dancing.”

“Dancing!”

“What…”

“I missed you dancing!”

“It will happen again, I’m sure.”

Lee glanced around the car park, populated only with parents struggling to get kids in and out of cars and tired people fighting with suitcases. He let go of his case, dropped his bag and pulled Richard around and into him, putting a hand on his hip and raising the one he was already holding, spinning them into what he imagined to be a waltz.

“Wha…Lee, what are you doing?"

“Dancing…”

“ Stop,stop- let me lead you’re just walking in circles.” Lee blinked at Richard and stilled. “Come on, and…1,2,3- 1,2,3-1,2,3.” Richard started to move, and Lee found himself staring down at their feet as he tried to keep up. “Don’t look at our feet, I won’t tread on you.” He said gently and soon they were shuffling in circles in the road between the parked cars, fighting to keep straight faces but Lee really could not dance.

“You really can’t dance for shit, Lee.” Richard said before throwing his head back and laughing.

“Shut up!” Lee pinched Richard’s waist and he squirmed away, making a run for the Weta Jeep. “No! Don’t…come back.” Lee yelled, grabbing his stuff and running after Richard as the Jeep chugged into life, pulled out of the parking space and began driving away. “FUCKER!” Lee yelled, dropping his stuff again and putting his hands on his hips, ignoring the scandalous gasps from the parents a row over.

 

 The Jeep went into reverse and rocketed towards Lee, swerving and screeching to a halt as the passenger door opened. “Get in looser.” Came that deep, rich voice from the drivers seat and Lee chucked his case on the back seat, jumped in the front as he launched his bag to join it and screamed ‘GO GO GO!.’ Punching the head rest and they screamed out of the airport, just to hit the traffic on the SH1N.

“This is anticlimactic.” Richard sighed as he put the car in first gear.

“When did you learn to drive like that?”

“It was…uh…on Spooks, we did an advanced driving…”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“They had all of us do an advanced…”

“No, Spooks? Was that a show?”

“Yeah, about spies.”

“Oh my God.”

“What? Spooks are what we call spies, what did you think it was about?”

“It’s not nice a word in the states, Rich, like the ‘N’ word not nice.”

Richard chocked and looked over at him, mouth open in shock. Lee darted across the gear stick and sucked that pink lower lip into his mouth. He pulled back long enough to get those sun glasses off him, frowning at the shadows under bright blue eyes as he leaned back in to kiss him properly, hand coming to rest on Richard’s thigh. He moaned as a warm hand came to cup his face, inching forward as soft lips opened and a tongue gently met his.

The beep from the car behind broke them out of their little world and Richard blinked rapidly as he started driving, licking his reddened lips. Lee stayed where he was, keeping his eyes on Richard’s mouth and his hand on his thigh to feel every movement as he worked the clutch.

“Rich, when we get back to mine and I’ve unpacked my shit, I want to suck you off.”

“...Oh”

“Will you let me?” Richard glanced at him, swallowed.

“Do you really want to?”

“Oh god yes…”

Richard’s neck went pink. “Ok.” He said quietly, eyes back on the road.

“You sure?”

“I wouldn’t say yes if I wasn’t.”

“Just checkin'…” Lee felt himself smile as he ran his fingers through Richard’s hair.

 

 

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> View this as 7.1 and the next chapter as 7.2 as I've had to split this because of time, or lack of it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which jobs are blown, Lee is a cheeky and Richard is indignant.

 

Lee chuckled at the shocked look on Richard’s face as he was shoved back on the bed, shirt pushed up to reveal his taunt, toned, abdomen and narrow waist. “You thought I’d forgotten didn’t you.” Lee whispered as he brushed kisses over his stomach.

“Thought you’d be too jetlagged, you sure you don’t want me to….”

“Rich I want…not yet, I don’t think I could handle seeing you…” The image of a flash of blue glancing at him from dark lashes, his hands tangled in thick brown hair and pink lips swallowed him down reared in Lee’s mind and his cock throbbed painfully. “No, I want you first.”

Lee sucked and bit at Richard’s lips until they were both moaning against one another, running his hands everywhere he could as Richard squirmed under him, moving down to nip at the pale skin across his abdomen, scrabbling at the fly and shoving jeans and boxer brief’s down low enough to reveal Richard’s flushed, half hard cock. Lee hissed at the sight of it, pressing a soft kiss to the base as he looked up at Richard. He was staring at the ceiling, his hands resting awkwardly on his heaving chest, a flush working it’s way up his body. Lee moved up to kiss him again, gently this time, coaxing gasps out of Richard who had his warm hands up the back of Lee’s shirt. “Am I moving too fast?” Lee breathed against his lips, smiling as Richard closed the gap between them to kiss him gently, sucking at Lee’s bottom lip in a way that made him almost reconsider Richard’s offer.

Almost.

“I want you to watch me while I blow you, Rich. Can you do that for me?” He breathed against bruised lips and Richard nodded gently, pushing himself up on his elbows as Lee trailed open mouthed kisses on all the soft skin he could reach, all the way down to the head of Richard’s dick, he gave it a few strokes, re-acquainting himself with uncircumcised skin, before licking it into his mouth. Richard sucked in a breath, his thighs twitching under Lee’s hands when he pressed his tongue to the underside of his cock, savouring the taste and feel as he took him in deeper with every bob of his head forcing gentle ‘ah’s’ from Richard with every down sweep of his head.

Richard kept his hips unsettlingly still as his cock hit the back of Lee’s throat. Lee even moaned in appreciation, throat fluttering around him and Richard groaned loudly but his body kept still. Lee dragged his tongue along the vein as he pulled off, hand coming to pump the spit slicked shaft as he sunk his teeth into Richard’s thigh, moaning into the flesh as Richard bucked wildly, a hoarse cry ripped from him. “Like that huh?” Lee growled as he went back to sucking at the head, hand still pumping the rest of him. The gentle noises coming from Richard got a whole lot louder when Lee pressed a knuckle behind his balls, undulating his tongue along the underside as he took him all in again. Lee felt a little insulted at Richard’s control over his own hips and dug his nail into one firm thigh, smiling around the cock in his mouth as Richard swore loudly and bucked his hips.

He sucked him down twice, hand moving from his balls to run over the smooth skin of Richard’s abdomen. He glanced up at his hand’s travels, taking in pale skin glistening with sweat, his abdomen heaving as if he would die. At ice blue eyes looking down at him and Lee moaned genuinely and loudly. “Rich, fuck.” Lee gasped, pulling off to kiss Richard soundly, fucking his tongue into his mouth in time with his fist on Richard’s cock, making sure he could taste every inch of himself. Richard fell off his elbows at the force of Lee’s attentions, landing heavily on the mattress and only having a moment to gasp before Lee was on him again. Richard’s hands moved to Lee’s shoulders, grabbing at his travel stained t-shirt as his legs suddenly drew up and jolted Lee forward so he lost his grip on Richard’s dick. As he pulled away he was shoved up and away so he was supported by Richard’s arms.

They froze staring at one another for a moment, Richard’s lips red and bruised, a blush high on his cheeks, eyes over bright, gasping in breaths. Lee wanted to say something, but all his brain was concerned with was getting them both off. He tried to lean back down but Richard had locked his elbows so all he did was flail. The beat of terrible panic that ran through him disappeared as Richard giggled. “Get ya' trousers off.” He panted out, voice gone husky with arousal and Lee let out a little moan. “Lee! Trousers!”

“Why?”

“I..you’ll see. Get off a moment.” Lee sat up, grabbing Richard’s arm to quickly kiss his wrist before rolling off.

He watched as Richard kicked off his jeans and briefs before wiggling out of his own, sighing as his cock was freed and the cool air of his bedroom hit his lower legs. Richard had rolled onto his front and was rooting around in the bedside table. Lee zeroed in on the pale, round, firm, smooth buttocks that were raised slightly because of how Richard was laying. He stared at them for two loud heartbeats before he groaned and rolled onto his front, hiding his face in a pillow that smelt of Richard.

“You okay?”

“No, you’re killing me!”

“I’m what?”

Lee rested his cheek on the pillow so he could look at Richard. “You’re ass is killing me.” Richard frowned, peering over his shoulder at his own butt and Lee burst out laughing, shuffling over so he could kiss his shoulder through the thin material of his t-shirt. “You have a very nice ass, even nicer in person.” Lee watched his own hand move to gently massage a firm cheek,making sure to dig his finger tips into the muscle, pressing his face against Richard’s neck.

“Oh…” He gasped out, something clattering into a draw.

“What are you looking for, anyway?”

“These.” Richard flipped over onto his back, condom between his teeth and a bottle of lube on his stomach.

“What…” Lee watched Richard rip the foil open, his brain moving a million miles an hour. “We’re not, are you…”

Richard’s face went red, condom held between gentle fingertips. “No… not yet Lee. Umm…anyway I’m hungover. That won’t be pretty.” He muttered, and Lee fought through his haze of arousal to agree. He was pulled down into a lazily kiss, moaning as Richard palmed his throbbing cock, slipped the condom on and stroked him a few times to cover him in lube, pulling a hiss from Lee. “Roll…get on your side.” Richard whispered, not quite able to meet his eyes.

Lee tipped Richard’s head up to look at him and smiled as calmly as he could with his heart hammering in his throat. “It’s okay, darlin’. I’ve got ya’.” He said gently, arranging pillows so Richard could be comfortable and rolling him so he was on his side, facing the bedroom window. Lee squeezed some more lube onto his hand and guided his cock between smooth, pale thighs. "Oh...” Lee gasped out; feeling like he had been punched in the gut when we was flush against Richard’s back, cock buried in slick, smooth, warmth. It was almost as good as the real thing.

Almost.

He wrapped his hand around Richard’s cock and moved it in time with his thrusts. “Oh my... Fuck. Rich… I can’t wait…” he cut his babbling off with a moan as Richard grabbed his hip and pulled him in closer. He managed to get Richard to twist his head so he could lick into his mouth, both of them moaning against each other as Lee began to twist his hand on every down sweep on Richard's dick.

Richard swallowed before speaking hesitantly, “Can’t wait for what ?” He gasped, hips stuttering.

Lee bit his lip, even with his single minded, lust fueled brain he knew this was best kept to himself.

A hand tangled in his hair and pulled, as Richard growled at him. "Tell me. Say it."

 Lee nearly shot his load at the sound, he could not wait to get Thorin in bed. “Can’t wait to be inside you…fuck…if you feel this good like this.”

 

  Richard made a small, startled noise and clenched his thighs as Lee moved his fist faster, head bowing and moaning shamelessly against the pillows. “You…so good...” Lee moaned, biting the material of Richard’s t-shirt as he felt heat grow in his belly. He squeezed the head of Richard'sprick and he came with a strangled moan, shuddering, his back bowed, pushing his legs back against Lee. “Yes, yes..come on, beautiful.” Lee panted against the back of Richard’s neck, fucking mindlessly until he came with a shout, which he vaguely hoped Evangeline and her boy were not next door to hear.

Richard lay still, panting silently, as Lee rode out his orgasm until it became painful and he ungracefully collapsed backward, smiling as Richard wriggled around to rest his head on Lee’s heaving chest.

“Well," Richard spoke up after a while laying in silence, "that was an unexpected…”

“Don’t you dare!” Lee laughed, curling an arm around Richard’s shoulders and pulling him closer.

“What?”

“Don’t bring Hobbits into bed _PLEASE_.”

“Square.” Lee made to kiss the top of Richard’s head as he twisted to look at him, a slightly pensive look on his face. “Lee, umm…Martin said something…”

“A ‘I need to smack him in the mouth’ something or a ‘Thanks dude’ something…?”

“Er…no. Last night when we were out Luke and I spend most of it together and we danced a little but it was in good fun and I didn’t think anything of it but Martin…”

Lee closed the distance between them to kiss Richard silent, “You’re adorable when you’re feeling guilty.”

“Sod off!” Richard pushed himself up to glare down at Lee. “And we should have used a condom before you, well… I could have anything!”

“You’re cleaner than the dam Pope. Unless Luke gave you something last night…” Lee burst out laughing at the look Richard gave him.

“I am…” He rolled off the bed and if anyone could put underwear on indignantly it was Richard, “I’m not going to lay here and encourage you. I was genuinely worried you were going to be angry.”

“If you think it was just dancing then it was just dancing. I trust you.” Lee sat up and reached out to grab Richard’s wrist and pull him closer to the bed, very aware he had a condom to get rid of but this was not the moment. “If it’ll make you feel better I’ll be angry for a bit and then forgive you?”

“Forgive me? You cheeky bastard, go over and have it out with Luke.” Richard’s face split into a terribly over done smug smile. “Not my fault I’m irresistible."

Lee pulled Richard down and they were both laughing as they shared a chaste kiss. “Oh no, being irresistible is all your fault.” He growled against Richard’s lips, whining as he pulled away again.

“No, come on. You need a shower, we both need a shower.”

“You inviting me to come save water?”

“Well...” Richard let the word hand in the air as he walked backwards towards the bathroom. “I suppose if you put it like that. I will need to practice…”

“Practice what?”

“Repaying you.” It took Lee a moment to get what he meant, and when he did he practically fell over himself to follow .


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Carl the dog makes his début, Lee thinks about their characters and cheeky nephews are cheeky.

Lee was supposed to come backwards and forwards for the rest of the shoot, but he had a visa to make the best of, a country to be experienced, a free place to live (he had swapped Evie’s guest suite for Richard’s 'spare room') and nothing to do back in the states for a couple of months yet anyway. They had to time their family's visits so they could all fit in Richard's house, he had kindly opened his doors to Lee's parents and siblings, and Lee martyred himself by bunking with Richard which fooled no-one and made Richard blush whenever it was mentioned.

 Lee spent the time he was not needed on set exploring New Zealand, Richard joining him on his days off, making sure he was back for when Richard went through his periods of working so flat out that Sir.Ian would threaten to have a word. Lee even brought Carl over for the extended holiday and the Pointer loved everything from going berserk in the surf to barking at the poor sheep population to sniffing around the studio to trotting up mountains after Richard, to Richard himself.

“Oh I see how it is; I go through the hassle of getting you here and worrying about you flying and registering you for the sake of three months just so Richard can be your new best buddy huh? Huh? Fickle puppy!”

“He has good taste, that’s all. Don’t you Carl, good boy! Oh yes I’m very happy to see you too.” Richard coo’ed, folded up on the bottom step of his trailer as Carl tried to lick his face off, tail wagging ten to the dozen.

The other Dwarves, who were also half out of costume and missing facial hair were gathering to chat to Lee as they waited for a light to be fixed on set. He handed over the lead to Richard who with a, “Have fun at the mother’s meeting!” ran off to play with his dog like he had never met one before; not that a dumb grin did not spread across his face as he watched the great Thorin Oakenshield play a game of fetch with his dog.

“Yeah, when I’m on set I’ve kept him at Rich’s 'cause at least he can dope around a garden then.”

“Is he’s okay, being left alone somewhere strange ?” Dean asked.

“Oh, yeah, he’s used to moving around the place. Richard’s place is home now anyway, so...” That was met with a bank of actor’ faces studiously not reacting, although Aidan always had a hard time controlling his big, adorable, joyous beam of a smile, and there was a subtle change in conversation.

  Half an hour later they were called back on set and Lee was dragged in by the full company of little bastards. Lee found Benedict in the little black tent behind the camera’s and they settled down with complimentary ear pieces looking at the Erebor set and the frankly obscene amount of fake gold coins spilling everywhere (Benedict called it his nest) through the TV set in the corner. Sebastian appeared out of nowhere with Thranduil’s folding chair so he could come and watch - someone finding a dog bowl so he could leave a tired out Carl in his trailer. 

 Either everyone else was busy, or they were used to it, but they had a pretty good view of Dwarves trying to be sneaky about stealing the gold coins and Lee was honestly a little surprised to see Richard as ring-leader, as it were.

He had been in scenes with Richard before, hell his first day filming had been with Richard, his untried and changing version of Thranduil coming up against the fire storm that was Richard’s established Thorin, but he had never really watched him. It had been a privilege to act with him, to be in a scene with him and work out all the intricate details of their character’s emotions and actions, but it was completely different to sit back and watch. Details you missed from concentrating on your own character (or on this occasion, trying to recall the stubborn hate in his scene partner’s eye), were apparent even on a TV screen several feet from where the acting was going on. There was always an inner peace in Thorin that came from Richard, something that Lee had studied and inverted for Thranduil. A haunted, wild fire Dwarven King with a inner core of stone strength and easily shattered pride juxtaposed with a haunted, ice cool Elven King with an inner core of fire and desperate fear. Thorin was never afraid, despite it all he never showed fear but now he was losing his sanity and Lee could see clearly the fear and confusion and helplessness in his burning bright eyes, pupil's nearly swallowing up his eye colour.

“It’s always hard to see someone you love disintegrate.” Benedict said out of nowhere, shooting Lee a knowing look before turning back to the TV screen.

Richard finished early for a change and Lee was released from the crew pen, scurrying away from the behind the scenes camera to go and walk with him and Tami to the make-up. Richard looked exhausted, his eyelids heavy over darkened eyes, pupil's back to normal, but he still strode with the straight back and self importance of a King as he reached out his slightly sweaty human hand to take Lee’s, not breaking conversation with Tami.

 Lee ended up being ordered into Graham’s empty chair while Tami ‘changed faces’ so they could catch up. He did not know Tami as well as Richard did, but the set was not all that big, neither was Wellington, so they knew each other well enough to fill the silence while Richard fell fast asleep.

“He hasn’t been this beat since Goblin Town. Even running across New Zealand didn’t do this.” She said matter of factly as she, quite disturbingly, pulled off Thorin’s nose.

“How…how was he this morning?”

“Pumping himself up and pre-apologising for being a asshole the whole day.” She explained, gently shaking Richard’s shoulder so he blinked up at her, slightly dazed. “Hey sweetie, lean forward for me.” She cooed. Richard shifted groggily in his seat and then fell back asleep as Tami eased the wig off.

“He probably told me all about why Thorin is like this, but I don’t think I was paying attention.” He admitted, hoping Richard would forgive him if he heard him in his dreams.

Tami laughed to herself as she pulled the cap off with a “Ta-da!” that started Richard awake. She ran her fingers though his hair to release any knots as he blinked at himself in the mirror with such a stricken look of confusion they both started to laugh. “You’re Richard again!” Tami said gently, as if talking to a child, removing her hands so Richard could run his own fingers through his hair and over his face. “You want me to get some send over some food to our trailer?” She asked in the same tone and from the look on her face Lee guessed that when Richard looked up at her he was back to himself.

“I would bite your hand off for chicken.” He rumbled and Lee burst out laughing, jumping up as Richard swiped at his leg.

 

Lee went to take Carl for his last walk of the day as the sky began to turn an angry red, clouds closing in over the bay. The Pointer hovered outside Richard’s trailer as they passed, looking pointedly at the door as he let out a bark to remind Lee that they now needed Richard to do things with them. “He’s sleeping now buddy, we’ll see him soon okay? Come on.” After another moment and a forlorn whine Carl finally fell in next to Lee.

It was a good hour and a half before they got back from a wander around the strips of green on Shelly Bay Road and the night had closed in with the smell of rain in the air. As soon as they got through the gates Carl was dragging Lee in the direction of the Trailers, letting out the occasional yap to get him to hurry. Richard was waiting for them at the top of his steps, looking slightly less shattered than earlier and swathed in the thick, soft, Hobbit dressing gowns. Carl said hello vigorously to make up for Lee being nasty and not taking him with them before padding into the trailer.

 “Thank’s for taking Carl for a walk.” Richard teased as Lee pecked him on the lips, throwing himself in to the trailer to avoid getting tiggled.

They braved the cooling night on the trailer steps for Lee to eat un-hassled by Carl, Richard looking like a Jawa with his dressing gown hood pulled up and over most of his face. “You were good today, really good. Once we worked out what the fuck you were doing…”

“I knew you weren’t paying attention…”

“Your voice was all deep and hypnotic you could’ve told me the secret to the universe and I wouldn’t have been listening.”

“My voice sounded like it always does!”

“No, you sounded like you’d been screaming for hour as well as sucking dicks.” Lee was only half aware of having said it out loud, but still grinned devilishly when Richard choked on nothing.

“Well, that’s a nice thing to hear about ya’ uncle in the pitch black ‘round a back of a trailer!” Aidan’s lilting voice came out of nowhere, making them both jump and look around wildly, Richard pulling the hood halfway off when he spotted the grinning face leaning out of the window of the opposite trailer.

“Why aren’t you at home?”

“Waiting for Adam. Why aren’t you?”

“Too tired to cycle and this idiot didn’t bring his car.”

“Hey!” Lee protested but got ignored.

“You going out for drinks tonight? We have 8 am calls tomorrow…”

“Nah, playing COD at Deano’s, uncle. Wanna come?”

“I had enough of that when you kept playing it in my living room.”

“You get the massive Plasma, expect it to be hi-jacked. Wanna come Lee?”

“Uh…not tonight…”

“Go if you want.” Richard said softly. “I’m just going to sleep.”

Lee smiled, “I don’t feel like it. Let me know next time though, okay. Kick your upstart Dwarven butts.”

“You wish." Came Dean's voice from inside Aidan's trailer and he half disappeared thought his window to allow blonde curls to pop up next to him. "I'll kick your arse anytime, any where, any game Pace. For my family's honour!"

 "For our uncle's honour!" Aidan backed up and Lee laughed as Richard smiled fondly.

"I could not possibly ask my nephew's to fight for _my_ honour, but if Lee is willing to fight for mine..." Richard grinned the same grin what was plastered on Dean and Aidan's faces and Lee felt suddenly overwhelmed by the Durin brat's.

"I knew I locked you in my dungeons for a reason!"

The boys laughed as they ducked back into their trailer, Aidan popping back up as Richard reached for Lee's hand. “And less talk about dick suckin’ please, he is practically my Da’ after all.”

 “Bye Aidan.” Lee laughed as Richard yawned, joints popping as he stretched a wave at where Aidan had been.

Carl was snoring as they sneaked in to brush their teeth and scrub what glue Tami missed off Richard’s face and found something for Lee to wear. Richard was asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow, murmuring something about alarms as he pulled his dressing gown tighter around him.Lee just smiled and fitted himself around him as the rain began to pour, the two of them really too big to share a trailer bed, but making it work somehow.

It was perfect.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lee thinks about intimacy, thinks it out loud and ends up on Richard's hallway floor.

Penetration was not the be all and end all of sex, Lee had learned early on in his sex life that dicks being shoved in places was not the only way to be intimate with another person. You did not even have need to touch someone to have the deepest of relationships- two series of Pushing Daisies made that splendid fact clear.

   Richard seemed to be an expert of unexpected intimacy, he could trail a finger tip across the back of Lee's hand, his foot, his cheek, with such intensity it felt like he had just slammed Lee up against a wall. When Lee would clumsily return the touches- a gentle tug at a slender wrist to cross a bar/road/shop/gig/concert/field, exploring his pronounced collar bone as he squeezed his shoulder, gripping his narrow waist as they played with Martin's little ones- Richard's eyes would become too bright, and a flush would spread over his cheekbones, sometimes making a strangled noise so gentle only Lee would ever hear it. Once as he cheekily brushed Richard's crossed thighs as they sat around between takes he saw Jimmy's attention snap to the slight noise Richard had just made, felt Mark and Jed eyeballing the back of his head as he tried to casually make his way over to Orlando. Lee stopped indulging himself after that because of the looks the Dwarves gave him for a few weeks after. Apparently Lee met with their approval, Thranduil did not.

  It was nearly the Christmas break; they had been doing this film for nearly a year. They had been together for nearly a year. Lee had referred to Richard once as his boyfriend and the look of cringing horror he received had told him in no uncertain terms that world would not be welcome, but Rich was still his boyfriend in Lee's head, and to Carl, and his mom, and Matt also but that was besides the point. When asked what he would prefer Richard had stumbled over his words, desperately trying to find an alternative but his brain not co-operating. He finally declared 'lovers!' before groaning as Lee began to laugh, burying his face into the leather of his make-up chair.

 'You, of all people, do not have lovers Rich.' Lee teased, ruffling Thorin's hair before flopping back into his chair, looking at Richard in the mirror. ' I bet when you were slinking all around the West End in Lyrca you could've.” Richard snorted. “I’ve seen the photo’s of you all pale in your dam art student black polo necks!”

 “I wasn’t an art student.”

 “Phhhhsssshhh. You still…”

“Wait, how did you see those?”

 “Your year's adorable LAMDA webpage…”

“I am going to kill Ian.”

Lee burst out laughing at the image of Thorin Oakenshield, in a tank top, sulking back at him from Richard’s mirror. “You looked handsome though.”  Thorin rolled Richard’s eyes at him. “No, really. I would not have ever gone up to you.”

 “Oh, only now when I’m an old scrubber!”

“Don’t be obtuse Rich. I’m more confident now, is all. You’re still as beautiful.” Because Richard is beautiful, even when his face does these awkward contortions when he’s been caught off guard and he’s scrambling to react he is beautiful- even when it’s 8 pm after a 4 am start and his face is all red and he’s still got makeup glue in his hair he is beautiful. One day Lee will be brave enough to tell him.

 “I was never…that’s just a still. I look poised and aloof in a still. In real life I was-am- awkward and shy and boring.”

  “Anyone who can say truthfully, ‘Russian trapeze artists taught me to back flip while I was sleeping next to an Elephant’ is not boring!”

  “Well…too boring to have _lovers._ Too old fashioned to have _lovers._ ”

   “You should have had a whole crowd of them trailing after you.  A crowd of about seven.” Lee sunk down in the chair he claimed whenever the other Dwarves were absent and felt his mouth run away from him. “Some like the fact you don't belong to them, some burn to have you all to themselves; buying you nice things and taking you nice places. Made love to regularly, made love to for hours until you can't even move and you couldn't feel yourself come until it hits you like a wall. Fucked too, like you should be, hard and relentless so you never doubt what you do to m…” Lee only realised what he had been saying when he caught movement in his own mirror and saw Tami, as red as a beet and looking very awkward, standing in the doorway.

  He looked over at Richard who was staring straight ahead, neck, shoulders and arms almost as red as Tami's, eyes wide and bright and unreadable. His mouth twitched like he was going to speak, but then he spotted Tami and turned to speak to her- obviously not knowing she had heard some of Lee's ramblings, just as Graham and Dean stomped in talking loudly about SLR's and jokingly telling Lee to get out of the dwarf trailer. Which he did gladly, catching the look Tami gave him as he practically fell out of make-up.

  He had no idea where all that had come from, he kept telling himself as Amy took his ears, wig and beauty make up off at the end of the day. But he did, and was slightly ashamed of it. He wasn't usually preoccupied with fucking, no more than most people, his previous partners had rarely held off more than a month. Richard had demurred for nearly a year. Lee had made it very clear that all Richard had to do was say and Lee would put it out of his mind forever. It was the expectation that was making it weigh on Lee's mind and now he had gone and blured it out without getting to say it was an idle fanatsy he had just come up with right then and for the past month had not been thinking abut Richard having sex with previous partners.

 

 Richard raised an eyebrow when Lee lent on his doorbell over an hour later having been too embarrassed to come home earlier, hyperaware that most of the cast lived on this road and sure they all had heard what he had said earlier and why was he ringing the bell when he had a key?

 “Where's Carl?” He asked after he had nervously kissed Richard on the cheek.

 “I let him run mad in the park, he's passed out in his bed.”

They were stood in Richard’s hall, not awkwardly but still not moving further into the house.

  “Umm, 'bout earlier...I should not have, umm, it was inappropriate and...” he was slammed against the wall, not as hard as he could have been, but still slammed.

  “Yes, earlier, where you were telling me about what you want my sex life to be?" 

"It's...it's...Richard you...you make it very hard not to think about doing that," Lee was babbling again,"and I didn't want to think about myself and you because that would be an intrusion wouldn't it...?"

“How long have you been thinking about that?”

  “G..wh…a...month.” Lee moaned as soft lips attached to his neck.

  “You seemed pretty sure of men I'd let use me.”

“No! No, not use. Never...no-one could do that.” Lee had a hand in Richard’s hair so he could look at him. “Never use...desire, worship maybe.” He cringed as Richard looked like he was about to laugh, but collected himself.

 “Alright then.'”He rumbled against Lee's mouth. “You've thought about the men I'd let have me?” Lee felt himself nodding, groaning as Richard's leg slipped between his own. “Tell me.” He growled against his neck, fingers skimming under Lee’s plaid shirt.

“I...” He groaned because Richard had just pressed his thigh hard against his groin and because he was _really going to say this_ , “…a musician would be the first, you one of many. Then the artist would see you at one of the gig's and want to paint you, then want to have you so you would be more truthful in his work.” One of his hand's moved up the back of Richard’s shirt, pressing cool fingers against warm skin as Lee began to gabble. “The businessman would buy one of the paintings and want to meet you. Trying…fuck… seducing you by any means necessary so he can have the painting and the subject both in his collection, adding you to his lists of mistresses- you will never let that happen and it drives him crazy but he keeps coming to you.” Lee's other hand began kneading Richard's ass, pulling his hips closer so he was grinding against his thigh, pressing forward to speak into his ear. “He wants’ to show you off to his buddies, most of all the Lord down the road. He wants to be better than him so bad and it backfires. The Lord's kid takes you to Henley and Ascot and to meet the Queen and shit.” Lee scraped his teeth over Richard's jaw, moving his hand down the back of his trousers as hands scrabbled at his hair and hip.

  “A...and. oh. And then, I'm whisked off to New York by one of them for a dirty week, shown the highlife, bought anything I even glance at. But it stifles; it corrupts, ah...so I go for a run in central park. Meet a boy with big hazel eyes and an easy smile, a smooth voice and so much life and love and good in him...also great legs.” Lee laughed, kissing Richard gently as fingers found his belt buckle.

  “He takes you to a dive bar in Brooklyn, you eat street hot dogs at four am and then make love when they wake up at two the next afternoon and he's late for his evening performance... would you be there when he got in?”

  Richard nodded as his pushed Lee's trousers down to his knees, dropping down with them. “Is that what you want to happen?” His voice rumbled against Lee's thigh as he freed him from his boxers.

  'Ye...' All the breath was knocked out of him as Richard swallowed him down in one.

  Richard gave head like he was trying to kill you. If the CIA or whatever taught a group of people to give blow jobs like this and used them as assassins...well, it would be super effective and not actually illegal and who the hell would complain? Lee pressed his weight against the wall so he didn't collapse his thighs were trembling so violently. Richard moaned around him and Lee bucked, making Richard gag. He hated to do it, but, “Jesus....shit!”.

Richard pulled off and bit at the crease in Lee's hip.“I know you like making me gag you filthy bastard, so stop trying to hide it.” His voice was so deep and thick Lee nearly came right there.

  “Finally taking my advice for getting that Thorin voice, huh?” Lee teased, hissing as ice blue looked up at him between thick lashes as he was sucked down again.

  Lee knew his fingers were tight in Richard's hair, tugging at the longer strands, as he let his hips fuck into that mouth, a shout being forced out of him when that tight throat fluttered around him and a vulgar wet sound filled the air.

  Short fingernails scraped down his thighs and gently drummed on the back of Lee's knees, making him squirm and buck and swear. Smoothing back Richard’s hair from his face he looked down to see him smiling around his cock, eyes bright. Richard made Lee feel like he was two foot underwater and his head was going to explode but this time he didn't want to break the surface. Richard let him grab at his hair and buck wildly, pulsing his tongue along the vein. “I...i...” the tongue that was driving him mad moved so he couldn't thrust so deep as he came hard, toes and fingers and torso curling in on itself.

   When his body finally fell limp against the wall and he slid down it he was vaguely aware of Richard getting up and walking away to the downstairs bathroom to spit. Lee sat there in the hallway like a ragdoll, pants around his knees, bum warming the wooden floor, head rolled towards the sound of Richard gargling. “Don't I feel special?” Lee announced as Richard re-appeared, hair pushed back into a semblance of neatness. “So romantic!”

  “Yeah, think yourself lucky.” His voice was granite deep, eyes still watery, face pink above his beard, as he held out his hand out to help Lee up.

  “Every dam day, lover.” Lee grinned as he pulled his jeans back up.

  “Oh, shut up.” Richard growled good naturedly and headed towards the kitchen.

  “Hey, hey, what about you?”

  “I'm fine. My knee's won't keep that up though.”

  “No.'”Lee moved forward, “you haven't got off yet.'”He cupped Richard through his shorts but no hard, hot flesh met his hand.

  “Lee!”

  “Did you not enjoy that?”

  “It wasn't terrible.”

  Lee pulled back, horrified. “Rich...Richard I never want to do anything you don't like.”

  “Did you like it?”

 “Yes, but...”

"Well then, I like that you like it- but now I'm tired and hungry, I want to eat. I have remembered to eat, for once! It's not like there’s a curfew on sex now is there?”

 “I know this was serious and I hear you but all I can see is me fucking your mouth still, sorry.”

  


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a pre Christmas, Skype, and a post Christmas.

 Lee had been saying goodbye rather vigorously, with mouth and tongue and fingers, vulgar wet noises filling the room that made Richard gasp and grip the sheets by his head, spurring Lee on.

  Richard came with a sobbed out shout, body tensing and arching gracefully, Lee kissing as much of his flushed skin as he could. He kept stroking his finger tip against the nub of Richard's prostate, transfixed by his softening cock twitching desperately as Richard let out a yell for him to stop, Lee wishing he hadn't come already so he could get Richard to suck him off now.

  He jumped up to go wash his hands and his mouth as quickly as he could, bringing a flannel run under hot water to clean Richard up. He had not moved an inch from where Lee had left him; eyes squeezed shut, hands still gripping the sheets loosely.

 "Hey beautiful." Lee whispered as he went to kiss Richard's forehead. His lips had barely made contact and Richard was flinching away, hissing in what Lee thought was surprise. Hoped was surprised, feared was pain. 'Rich..?' he said gently, reaching for his shoulder but he pulled away again.

  "Don't." He squeaked, curling onto his side and into himself, face pressed into his knee's.

  'Okay...okay...' Lee stood at a loss for what to do for a moment, a rapidly cooling flannel still clutched in his hand. Had he hurt him? He was a little more rough than usual but not overly so, Richard was so tight he could have hurt him.

 Richard looked so vulnerable that Lee had to cover him with the blanket from the top of the wardrobe, pulling on his boxers as Richard laid there in silence, breathing deeply. Lee went and sat on the chair by the window thrown open to let in the heat of the night, looking out over Martin's garden and hoping he wasn't spotted. They had left the Pre-Cast-Only-Christmas-Party citing tiredness at nearly midnight. Not as if a Pre-Cast-and-Crew-Party had not been planned for tomorrow; or the actual Christmas party the day after that. It still took them twenty minuets to get away from Martin's sceptical looks and ' _you better not be dumping us again for a pretty face, Armitage_.'  

 Eventually he heard noises from the bed and Richard pad out to the bathroom. Lee turned on the radio, volume down low, so he couldn't hear what Richard was doing; partly out of fear at what he had done and partly because Richard needed privacy for whatever state he was in.

  A while later Richard came back, hesitating in the doorway before shuffling over. Lee looked up and had to smile at the way he was swathed in the blanket, sun starved legs sticking out from underneath. "Hey." he breathed, valiantly shifting to try and make room for Richard. That got him a raised eyebrow for his wishful thinking as Richard came to perch on the armrest, legs on Lee's lap.

“Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I was just over sensitive. My nerves were on fire."

"You sure?" Richard nodded. "You sure you're sure. I haven't hurt you, have I?"

"Oh...no. It's a little uncomfortable, but that's usual."

 Lee looked at his face intently- he was not going to drop it until he was sure the other man was unhurt and the slightly shifty look in Richard's eyes did not reassure him.

"Can I check?" Richard raised an eyebrow. "That you're okay?"

"You most certainly cannot!"

"Why?"

"It...it is un-dignified." Richard said looking equally scandalised and embarrassed, Lee never so struck with how English he was until that moment a he tried to not chuckle.

"Undignified? You do remember where my tongue was..." 

"That's different. It's not a prostate exam," Richard glanced down at him with humour bright in his eyes, "Lets not have me associating the two, okay?" 

 Lee had to laugh, pulling Richard further onto his lap so his hand slipped up under the blanket and rested near Richard's ass. "'Don't think I don't know what you're up to! I’m not bleeding. I was just over sensitive." He kept eye contact even though his voice became little more than a whisper, as if anyone else could hear. "Please don't do that again, not for as long. Keeping...keeping...after I’ve come…it…it makes me hurt all over." 

"Oh Rich." Lee pressed his face into a blanketed shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"You weren't to know. It's okay. Now you know, for next time." He shifted so Lee's face was against bare skin, blanket half around them both. Lee kissed along Richard's collarbone, nipping at the thin, pale skin over the pronounced bones as he wiggled a hand under his knees, the other around his back."Don't you...DARE! Put me DOWN.'" Richard yelled as Lee hefted him up. '"No you'll hurt yourself I’m too heavy. LEE.!" He was trying to kick his legs to get Lee to drop him at the same time as trying not to wrench Lee's back, arms around his shoulders.

"Don't think I will." Lee declared as they left the room and negotiated thm down the stairs.

"What are you doing!?" 

"It's warm out and we'll be going home to cold, wet, snowy, winter weather. The sky is clear, the moon is out and want to sit with you."

"...I’m naked..."

"You have me and a blanket."

Richard looked at him a long moment before pressing a firm kiss to his cheek. 'Merry christmas, idiot.'

                                                                                                     **\--------------------------------------**

"An’ where'd you run off to, then?"

"When?"

"At the Pre-Cast-Only-Christmas party?"

"That...was like five days ago." Lee pointed out as he settled down next to a grinning Aidan and Dean who were on the same flight as him to LA.

"Didn't wanna ask you infront of Uncle." They said in unison.

Lee looked at the both of them and saw the next fourteen hours stretch into infinity. 

"'You do know I’ll just tell him you were poking your noses in..."

"He was on a flight with Martin, remember, you're getting off lightly." He could not help but remember. They had left yesterday afternoon and would not be back in London until a good four hours after Lee had got into JFK. Poor Richard.

"So, you were both walking okay the next day..." 

"Don't think I won't throw you out the plane." "

"Rich will kick your arse."

Lee was struck then by the real life resemblence between the three. Dean had a glint in his eye that matched Aidan's- and Richard's when he was in the mood for mischief.

Some strange Weta cloning programme was the only reasonable answer.

                                                                                                    **\------------------------------------**

They Skyped everyday of the holidays, sometimes for hours at a time and sometimes 10 minuets before one of them had to run off or sleep because of silly time differences. Carl, once he had shaken off the doggie jetlag, got over excited when he heard Richard's voice coming from the laptop and knocked down the heavily decorated tree in his parent’s house at 1 am which made them both crack up and woke Lee's whole family.

 Richard's unfailing politeness and embarrassed charm as he spoke to Lee’s mother and extended family over video call saved Lee from being soundly told off at 32 years of age.

 Richard's much smaller family was waiting for him on Boxing Day when he signed on. Richard had a lap full of a curiously shy blue eyed nephew who looked unconvinced by Skype. Chris, Richard's brother, was lent over one shoulder, eyes not quite as blue, hair more grey, smile more easy, face and figure rounder than his brother. Susan, Chris' wife, blonde bob and big green eyes was lent over the other shoulder. Once they had exchanged pleasantries, Susan went off, taking Richard's protesting nephew with her.

"Lee, I'm very pleased to have met you." Chris said seriously, accent a lot stronger than Richard’s, large hand grasping his brother’s shoulder. "You’re a nice enough bloke, I’m relieved to see it. I know you'll treat our Richard well."

"Chris!" Richard protested, shoving his brother who was laughing fondly out of shot.

"Why would they think I’m not nice Rich? You been telling them I grabbed you in a saloon, chucked you over my saddle and rode you..."

"You wanna come back up, mate?" Richard interrupted, picking the little boy back up onto his lap for the duration of the call, not even blinking an eye when he corrected the fact Richard's face and hands severely lacked Monster stickers.

 

"So..." Lee asked expectantly at the pre-block training session they all had to attend to burn of Christmas fat.

  Everyone looked on curiously as Richard bent to root through his gym bag, pull out a zip lock bag, open the it and pull out something long, flat, and wrapped in dinosaur wrapping paper. "Abe doesn't go back on his promises." Richard grinned as Lee took it reverently, both ignoring everyone edging closer for a look as Lee carefully opened it, determined to save the paper. He gasped as a cascade of glitter covered his shoes and he held four packets of dinosaur, Winnie the Pooh, and pirate stickers in his hands.

 "Oh. My. Gosh..."  Richard chuckled at Lee's face, and then looked slightly confused by the puzzled faces looking at them.

"Lee got in a half hour long conversation about stickers with my little Nephew..." 

"WHAT!'"Aidan yelled "WE HAVE ANOTHER BROTHER!"

"When were you gonna tell us?!" Dean joined in.

"Does Mother know?"

"Aid...how would she not know?"

"Maybe Da was a player?"

"How DARE you speak ill of our nobel father...!" They went on like that; play fighting on the stunt mat as Lee carefully re-wrapped the stickers, putting them safely in his bag.

 A few days later Richard would come in for first day of the block at 4:30am, half asleep, only noticing when Tami pointed it out that he had Eeyore stuck to his cheek. "For goodness...he wasted the Winnie the Pooh ones!" He grumbled as Tami peeled it from his face, found some glue, and stuck it too his mirror.

"Like looking at Thorin." She commented

Richard was too sleep muddled to do anything but stare at it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is accidental provocative dancing, Graham is a sweetie, and someone's frickle gets frackled. 
> 
>  
> 
> (TW: mentions of confusion/ unawareness about sexuality/ own sexual preferences.)

  There was a flurry of movement, conversation inaudible over the bass, then Luke was grabbing Richard's hand and he was being dragged away from the bar where they had been huddled. Lee reached to pull him back but Luke was too quick so he had to watch Richard grab onto Adam and pull him along as well, followed by Aidan and Dean. He looked around wildly for Lee before he was in the press of bodies as the music hit the crescendo and the beat kicked in with strobe lighting, a cheer going up in the club.

  Lee watched as Richard took a moment to find the rhythm in the thumping noise and began to move with the others- much to Evie’s joy. The strobe lights made it look like he was not really there, breaking up what Lee knew would be smooth, fluid movements into staccato poses- made him look like he was a figment of wishful thinking. Lee stood half out of their little crowd at the bar, watching them disappearing into the sea of people with a slight pang of longing. He did not mind pulling out his electrocuted antelope dance moves for film or in front of a few people he knew would be laughing with him, but tonight, looking at all these people packed so tightly, he could not quite bring himself to follow. A hand pressed against his lower back and shoved him forward. He glanced over his shoulder to see Jed waving at him to go as he followed his ungraceful feet towards his goal.

  Lee had to get out of the grips of a couple of very friendly ladies before he found them, Aidan and Dean moving very enthusiastically in their energetic, young, drunken way. They parted when they realised Lee was there, clapping him on the back and shouting things he could not hear as he came up behind Richard. He caught Evie's and Adam's eyes as he slid his hands around Richard to cup his hipbones, feeling their sharpness under the well worn denim. Richard froze, half turning to get away from whoever was touching him. His arm was against Lee's chest to push him away when he finally looked up. His face changed from, ‘ _you have one chance to fuck off_ ,' to ,' _hey you!_ ', in one pulse of the light.

 The strong body under his hands arched against him as Richard leant back to shout in his ear, “PERVERT!” Lee threw his head back and laughed, letting his thumbs find their way under Richard's shirt to stroke the soft, hot, slightly damp skin of his abdomen.

 “MOVE WITH ME, MR.ELFBOY!” Was all the warning Lee got before Richard was spinning out of his arms to fall into place next to Luke and Evie as without any communication they began to hop, spin and shake around to the more, in Lee's old man opinion, musical song now playing. Lee was left awkwardly watching them for a while before Evie was holding his arms and trying to get him to dance with them. He really did try, but he was just too tall! ‘ _Tall people can’t dance_!’ he told himself as he looked helplessly at Richard, only inch shorter than him and trained dancer and acrobat.

 Pity was taken and Lee was allowed to pull Richard back against him, the fingers of one hand fully up Richard's shirt so he could feel every shift of muscles under soft skin as he moved. Richard was bent forward to speak with a visibly excited Adam about something, and intentionally or no his hips were moving with the music- swaying gracefully side to side in smooth sweeps- right against Lee's crotch. Lee tried not to look down, he really did, but as fascinating as Richard's back was his eyes slid down. The gap between chest and back was small and the club was dark but the light moved just right and all he saw Richard leaning forward with his round bottom pressed against Lee's groin and, with a unheard curse, his mind provided the rest of the image.

  He knew the moment when Richard felt his dick showing its appreciation, his movement faltered and he jolted forward slightly, hands grabbing Lee’s wrists. Lee saw the look Luke threw him and was glad of the heat and the darkness to hide his blush. Richard's large hand came to cover his one that had disappeared under the hem of his shirt and shifted so Lee's half hard dick was butted against the cleft of his arse. It was through layers of cotton but he could feel the heat of Richard’s body, the firmness from years of activity and he felt a little dizzy. Richard looked at him over his shoulder, eyes thrown into shadow, tilting his head back further as Lee moved in to kiss him, licking into his mouth and digging his fingers into the firm stomach beneath them when he felt Richard's moan vibrate through him.

  The next thing he knew strong hand had grabbed him and was dragging them off the dance floor towards the doors of the club. Lee flailed, trying to reach for Richard and get away from whoever had grabbed them until he caught a sight of a familiar shaved head and he began to swear.

  Richard was laughing at him when they were outside on the cool, crowded pavement. Lee could still feel the bass pounding in his ears as he began shouting. “You sonov’a bitch! I thought we were gonna get the shit kicked outta us!”

 “We wouldn't let our dear, glorious leader get beaten up in an alley. Don't worry.” Graham laughed.

“I hope that would cover me too!” Graham glanced at Richard who shrugged, ignoring Lee's tirade as they began chatting.

"Are we out here amongst the drunk youth of Welly for a reason?"

“I was given orders to take you home before...well before Lee got indecent.”

“I was no where near indecent!”

“You didn't have to drive us home, Graham. We'll just get a Taxi, don't ruin your evening for us...”

“It's okay, I was looking for an excuse to go. I wasn't really up for a club tonight. But you know how Adam gets. I might go home and talk to my wife.”

“How is Maggie? She's coming back down soon isn't she?”

 Lee sat in the back as they chatted in the front like Graham had not basically been told to take them home so they could fuck. Lee's brain, having recovered from the fear of getting beaten up, decided this was the time to replay his mental images from earlier. He tried to contribute to the conversation to distract himself while at the same time willing down his erection. Lee had put aside his need to get as close as physically possible to the one he loved  to respect Richard's boundaries, all the emotional intimacy Lee needed had been fulfilled and more; his body had just made it known that if more were on the table then, yes, it would like it very much thank you.

  Graham gave Richard a half hug when they pulled up at his house, smiling indulgently at Lee who hopped out of the beam from the street light to hide the tent in his jeans. “You want come in for a bit, make the night a little longer?” Richard asked, leaning down to talk to Graham and Lee made himself look at the hood of the car.

“I told you it's fine!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, mother! Besides I don't think Lee really has my company in mind.” Lee felt a little mortified as Richard glanced over his shoulder, expression light but guarded. “See you Monday Lee, fighting fit.” Graham winked as he drove off, Richard waving as he disappeared up the road to his house.

 “I bet it was Martin. The guy is a gem but sometimes I wanna throttle him.” Lee ranted as they made their way up to Richard's front door. “No doubt he meant well, with a little bit of teasing thrown in, but not only did I nearly shit my pants...” Lee shuffled into the hall after Richard, blinking as he turned on the lights, "...but now certain nephews are going to be teasing me, oh no don't look at me like that, to you they're all peaches and cream but when you're not there it's open season. And Graham man, you play table-tennis with him and he saw I had a boner oh my…” Lee trailed off, aware he babbling to fill a silence he did not want to be in as he followed Richard into the kitchen and accepted the glass of water waved at him.

“I thought I would be the one upset by what just happened. Does it really bother you?”

“It…bothers me that it may make you feel uncomfortable. Or make you feel like you should be doing things. It bothers me you were having a nice time dancin’ and we got sent home! It bothers me that Martin, or whoever, ordered us home!”

Richard was quiet for a moment, "I did need to go out, but I’m glad to be home. My mind has been too full of of Thorin…” his ever gentle eyes changed in a blink to sharp chips of sapphire burning brightly in the dark. “…of fear and anger, of loss…terrible loss. An aching pit in my chest where so much hope and life and adoration used to live, where all the good dreams died from neglect…” Richard rubbed his face, arm wrapped around his own waist tightly. “Now there is only failure and a horrible sense of foreboding. Thorin know’s he’s going to fall into this dragon sickness and he doesn’t want to. He wants to see his sister grow old and his nephews grow up and laugh at Dwalin courting…”

 Lee was there before Richard’s hand was near his mouth, holding him tightly and wishing some of the warmth in his heart would seep into Richard. “But he get’s the respect the world owes the Dwarves back, they get there home back. Despite everyone telling them they can’t. He’s like, ‘fuck you, you are old and cold and just as fucked up as me,’ ignores them and does it anyway. So what he gets a little sick at the end, he lives a life anyone would be proud of…” He trailed off when Richard’s fingers gripped the collar of his button down, his own soft eyes back but with a certain amount of Thorin’s determination in them.

 “Can you keep yourself busy for about... about…ten- fifteen minuets?”

“I, errrrm, yeah! Yeah of course. Is there…” 

"Lee, I need to go and get ready.” He looked as if he was willing Lee to understand him and for a moment Lee was floundering until the soft shade of pink spreading across Richard’s face made the penny he was 80% sure of drop somewhere in the back of his mind.

“Oh OH ooohhh okay…you, you're sure about this?” Richard nodded, "If you want to talk about it then we can. I know you know your own mind enough for me to not have to say that to you, but I want you to know that despite what's going...been going on in my jeans I can..."

 "This is something, to me, that is quite...not precious, but special...not that everything else we've done is not-it's been wonderful." Lee could not help the grin of pride that made Richard blush delightfully. "I don't usually like the idea of... everything else is good but what we're going to do is not always good, for me. So I don't always want it. I didn't say anything about this because I was not sure if I ever would want it and you were so understanding I could not bare to make you think it was you. Most of the time I won't want it, but, like now, I want you and I want you to have that connection you need. Okay?"

 Lee nodded as Richard pressed a kiss to the side of his lips and hurried off, trying and failing to hide his bright red face.

 He was left blinking at the counter Richard had been lent against, taking all that in and feeling a sense of relief that this was not the result of some trauma- it was just who Richard was and he was perfect. 

 Lee eventually migrated to the foot of the staircase, jogging on the spot to try and calm a sudden bout of nerves, when Richard came out of the bathroom. “Limbering up are we?” He commented dryly, eyebrow arched as a tiny smile tugged at his lips. He had his jeans folded and held to his chest, shirt hanging down over his boxer-briefs and Lee let his eyes take in every detail of the long expanse of pale leg going down to his slender feet, toes curled into the carpet at the top of the stairs.

 “Do you have any idea what you do to me..?” Lee growled, starting up the stairs. Richard made to speak but stopped himself, hesitated, then turned on the balls of his feet and ran off towards the bedroom, Lee hot on his heels.

 He had shed his shirt before he got into the room and was fighting with his socks when he finally got through the door. Richard was perched on the end of the bed that had the covers thrown off over the side, eyes wide and blue and so soft, hands resting on his bare thighs. Lee was aware he was being a little aggressive as he took two long Thranduil strides across the room and grabbed Richard’s face in his hands to pull his head back so he could lean down and kiss him hard. Richard’s mouth opened with a gasp and Lee’s tongue was straight in there, fucking his mouth ruthlessly. Richard’s hands were grasping Lee’s upper arms like he had out on that back road nearly a year ago, only this time he was kissing back. Lee pulled away, leaning his head on Richard’s for a moment before pulling a way to meet his eyes. “If you want to stop you say it. At any point, say it and I will stop. If…If I don’t…if I can’t- you have my permission to hit me.”

“Yes, I promise. I even promise to punch you in the face, but I know I won’t have to.” A firm palm was cupping Lee through his jeans, a sparkle of something almost naughty in Richard’s eyes as Lee hissed. “Not like I haven’t touched you before.”

“I know, I know…shit…I know. This is…” He pulled away to rip off his jeans, gasping when Richard pulled him back between his thighs to press open mouth kisses over Lee’s torso, grazing his teeth over his nipples and sucking marks on his chest and abdomen while Lee’s fingers ran through his hair.

“Slow down, calm down or it’ll all be over before we even get started.” He whispered against Lee’s hip. Lee took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the sparks in his veins but failing miserably.

“I don’t know if I can. Shit Rich I’ve been hard since the club!”

“When was the last time you got off?"

“Tuesday, in the shower, thinking of you.”

He glanced up at Lee. “When was..when was the last time you did…umm…this?”

“Before I came to New Zealand.”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

“Did you take one look at me and decide I was the one for you?” He had a silly grin on his face, but his teasing had hit a little close to the truth and Lee saw in Richard’s eyes just how much that showed on his face. “You think you have two in you?”

“I could have three if you asked nicely?”

Richard laughed. “Come on.” He said gently as he pushed down Lee’s boxers, licking his hand before he began stroking Lee slowly. “Let’s get you calm for the main event.”

“Oh fuck…are you sure?”

“Only if you think you won’t come so hard you’ll pass out?”

“Cocky are we?” Richard smiled knowingly as he kissed down to the base of Lee’s cock, free hand gently massaging his balls as he mouthed back up to circle his tongue around the circumcision scar which pulled quite an undignified noise from Lee, making Richard laugh.

“Shut up.” Lee whined, hips bucking towards that mouth. Richard was soon swallowing Lee down in what would make anyone else feel proud but was a little sloppy for him. Not that Lee was not enjoying it immensely, wrapping his fingers into curls at the base of Richard’s neck and thrusting gently to meet the bob of his head and the stokes of his hand. He pulled off with an obscene pop and kissed Lee’s abdomen ever so gently. 

“If…you don't have to be gentle.” Richard whispered so innocently Lee nearly came right there.

“ _Fuck_ …”

“You always come quicker when I let you be rough.”

“I take back all previous remarks about you being Cocky.” He pulled Richard up  so he could kiss him better. “If we do that I won’t…god you’re so good at this you’re spoiling me.” Richard blushed so Lee kissed him again, guiding his warm hand down to his throbbing cock. Lee bit at soft lips and moaned into that warm mouth that tasted of his own musk as Richard brought him off, Lee shouting to the high ceiling so the noise rang in his ears.

He lent his forehead on Richard’s shoulder, panting into the crisp fabric of his shirt as gentle fingertips ran over his back. He eventually staggered back a few paces, taking in his messy hair, red bitten lips, rosy cheeks and his own cum splattered all up Richard's shirt. He would have laughed at the way Richard screwed his face up as he examined the stain if the sight did not make Lee's sensitised body interested in adding to the debauchery.

 “Take.” Lee cleared his throat. “Take it off.” Richard glanced at him for a long moment, eyebrow arched and suddenly Lee felt very conscious of the fact he was stark naked.

 The shirt was pulled off and folded carefully, placed on the top of Richard’s laundry so the stickiness wouldn’t spread. The muscles across his smooth back moved with graceful fluidity under his skin. Lee was there in an instant placing kisses and hard bites all over the pale expanse of back before him, his hands down the front of Richard’s briefs before he had a real chance to admire the view. Richard lent back against him, allowing Lee to touch what he wanted and kiss what he wanted, letting out slightly louder and breathier moans than usual when Lee sunk his teeth slowly into his shoulder.

 Lee pulled him back to the bed, pushing down his briefs and holding Richard’s hips as he stepped out of them. Richard pointed to the dresser on the other side of the room and Lee went to retrieve what he needed. He examined the very tame packaging on the bottle of lube and felt a pang in his heart at how very Richard that was, fingering a condom as thoughts about how something that looked so innocent was going to be used, if this went right, to make Richard scream; his dick twitched at the thought and he smiled to himself as he turned back.

 Richard was laid out in the middle of the bed, head pressed into the pile of pillows, one hand self-consciously rubbing his thigh as the other rested on his abdomen near his pink, thick cock. “You are so hot.” Lee declared, watching as Richard’s attention snapped to him and his legs did a weird little movement as if he wanted to curl in on himself. Lee strode to the bed and knelt between his knees, dropping the lube and condom on the bed to stroke himself as he looked over the expanse of smooth skin peppered with dark hair. “It’s a wonder that I don’t have a permanent boner around you. God!” He let himself be pulled down into a messy kiss, grinding his hardening cock down against Richard, running his hands down over his sides as a leg hooked over him. Lee pulled back from assaulting Richard’s neck to breathe against his cheek. “How long has it been?”

“What?”

“Since you were fucked last, how long?”

He felt Richard tense momentarily under him before whispering, “Years.” There was a hint of shame in his voiced and Lee kissed it away with a groan, dick throbbing in anticipation of how hot and tight and fucking virginal Richard would feel as he moved to kiss and lick at Richard's nipples.

 Two of Lee’s fingers had been up there a few times but that was not going to mean those muscles were anywhere near loose enough to take what Lee wanted to give him. “I’m going to open you up carefully and thoroughly, okay. Don’t get worried about it.” He whispered as he carefully popped the cap, thankful Richard had suggested taking the edge off as he would have been a wreck by now, running a soothing hand over his flank. “It would be easier for you if you were on your front but…”

“But?”

“I wanna see you.”

"I prepped myself a little, in the bathroom, to make things easier."

Lee choked at the image but Richard looked the most comfortable with himself Lee had seen him as he casually handed Lee a pillow to put under his hips, letting his legs fall further open. Lee groaned, scraping his teeth over the delicate skin of Richard’s inner thigh as his finger slipped in with little resistance, soon followed carefully by a second. He spread his fingers, pressing a gentle kiss to the stretched muscle that still tasted faintly of soap in appreciation for Richard loosening himself up.

  One long leg was bent easily up to Richard's chest before Lee ever so slowly pressed in a third finger, Richard hissing, tensing for a moment before relaxing under the open mouthed kisses planted over his stomach.

 Lee was gentle as he went on, propped up on one elbow to kiss Richard lazily as he carefully fucked and stretched him with his fingers. Richard breath was hot and wet against Lee’s shoulder, gasping when Lee stroked his prostate again, rubbing his thumb over the stretched ring of muscle as he stroked Richard’s lengthening hair off his face. “You're doing so well, Rich.” Lee soothed as he scissored his fingers carefully. “So well, you’re so perfect.”

 Richard let the hand not threaded through Lee’s hair cover his eyes as he pushed his hips back against Lee’s hand, rocking them gently to move Lee’s fingers where he wanted them. “F _uck_.” Lee breathed and Richard stopped.

"Sorry..."

“No, it's okay.”

“Oh…”

“Keep…keep doing it if you want?”

He slowly moved his hips again as Lee thrust his fingers in and out, Richard’s throat working over the soft noises he was letting slip and suddenly Lee was aware how achingly hard he had gotten, leaning in to suck a kiss on Richard’s neck before moving to bite at his ear. “Rich…are you ready?”

“As I’ll…ah...as I’ll ever be. Yes, _yes_.” He gasped; wincing as Lee slowly pulled his fingers out then wiped his hand on the sheets which got him a muttered, “Nice”, from Richard, gingerly pushing himself up with his legs curled underneath him. Lee watched Richard gently flip the lid of the lube with his fingertips and squeezed a whole lot over his long fingers so delicately, so composed, while Lee felt he was about to burn up any moment. He grabbed a handful of soft brown hair and pulled Richard in to kiss him soundly, groaning when he was pushed flat on his back and Richard settled over his thighs still letting Lee fuck his mouth.

Lee finally pulled away when he felt Richard move for the condom. “No.”

 Richard sat up, hand hanging in mid air, questioning look in his eyes.

“No condom. Please.” Richard hesitated. “We both know I have nothing and you are cleaner than the Pope. Please don’t make me explain, and don’t let me pressure you.  I would just really like it if…if you’d let me cum in you?”

Richard went a slightly unattractive shade of red at that, eyes skittering around the room nervously before he locked eyes with Lee who was running a soothing hand up his side. “Yes, okay. If… yes.”

“You don’t sound definite.”

“I’m embarrassed!” 

Lee laughed and kissed Richard’s hand. “Even when you’re embarrassed you’re beautiful.”

“I am far from that.”

“There's not a single thing wrong with you.” Lee had let every emotion Richard had ever bought out in him loose on that sentence. He could only have expressed the weight he felt in those words with a three hundred word novel plus footnotes and a diagram.

“That is a very dangerous thing to believe.” Richard breathed out gently, intimately, the light flooding through the open door from the hallway illuminating his wide blue eyes that took Lee’s breath away as a warm hand slicked him up slowly.

 Richard used the wall above the headboard for support and as he guided Lee’s cock to his hole and very, very slowly sunk down. They both released gasping breaths once the head had pushed in, both panting as Richard took his time adjusting to the stretch and then continued sinking down, moving up slightly a few times before continuing to take Lee in. He was so tight and smooth and warm and slick Lee knew he was not going to last long, he also knew he was going to leave massive bruises on Richard’s thighs as he scrabbled at them in a valiant attempt to stop himself from bucking up. They both gasped again when he bottomed out, Lee watching the pinched look on Richard’s face slowly fade as he relaxed.

“Okay?” He finally gasped, prising his fingers away to run a soothing hand up Richard’s thigh. It was a moment before he got a small smile in reply along with an experimental grind of hips that had them both hissing. “Shit!” Lee groaned as Richard rolled his hips, moving Lee's cock inside him carefully, his hand still slick with lube now pressed onto Lee’s pectoral.

“That alright?”

“Fuck Rich, yeah. Yeah it’s more than… _shit_...more than alright.”

 Richard raised himself a little and sunk back down, brow furrowed in concentration as he did it again, easing into a rhythm when his whole body lurched and he gasped. Lee grinned, then moaned when Richard moved again, quicker this time with his hands using Lee’s abdomen for leverage. Lee wished he could follow the undulations of Richard’s torso with his mouth instead of his hands, feel every muscle moving under soft skin, settling them back on his hips to change his pace and angle slightly. Richard cried out, his insides clamping down hard on Lee and he bucked up wildly. The sudden movement jolted Richard forward and Lee slipped out of him, the pained hiss Richard let out through his teeth quelling the stab off loss Lee felt.

“Shit, sorry.” 

 “It’s alright.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah... Sorry.”

“Don’t be, that was my fault."

 "I'll just..."

"It’s okay. Here, you..you lay down. Okay. Let me.”

“I'm…”

“I know, but I wanna kiss you. Easier this way.” Richard looked at him for a moment, blush still high on his cheeks, then leant down to peck Lee on the lips so Lee’s cock slipped between his ass cheeks and rocked against him. “You little…” Lee laughed as he rolled them both over, a stupid smile on his face as Richard beamed his rare cheeky grin up at him as he watched Lee pour more lube on himself, long legs crossing loosely over his lower back.

“Lee.”

“Yeah.”

Richard craned his head up to nip at Lee’s earlobe. “Make love to me.” He rumbled in Lee’s ear and lay back down, eyes tracking the shudder than ran through Lee’s body.

 He pushed back in slowly, watching Richard's body take him in with a sense of honour that he had been allowed this, that Richard wanted this from him. Dark eyes were locked on him and the smile in them made Lee still a moment, running his fingertips over the back of Richard’s thigh and kissing the ankle that was slung easily over his shoulder as began to rock gently into Richard. Only aware of his eyes, his heat, his tightness and how easily he could hurt him.

 “Lee,” Richard reached for him and Lee let himself slowly down to press kisses all over Richard’s heated face, pushing their joined hands into the bed as Richard’s free hand tangled in his hair. Lee was aware that Richard’s legs were bent slightly too much for mere mortals, that he was shaking as his hips made unconscious movement into Richard. He was conscious of Richard adjusting himself so Lee could hit his prostate, letting out a panted moan, head thrown back.

“Please move more, please, _please_.” Richard gasped, his hand going to the headboard to push himself down against Lee. Lee kissed along his collar bone as he thrust in deeply but gently, moving his hips more forcefully when Richard bit at his ear, which had long fingers curling in his hair and Richard throwing his head back into the pillow, eyes screwed shut and kiss swollen lips open to let out delicate little breaths with every snap of Lee’s hips.

 Lee was lost, his world Richard's fucked open tightness and the noises coming out of his mouth- the closest thing to reverence he had felt since he saw the vastness of the sunset over the Ganges bubbled in his chest. He had loved Richard for so long, but he felt it like a hammer to the chest right now, he loved him so much- he was perfect. Lee’s hand pressing Richard’s into the bed was suddenly in a painful grip and Lee was met with dark eyes that seemed to spark before long lashes fluttered over them and he came with a strangled shout of Lee’s name, the muscles inside him rippling around Lee as he pounded desperately into that unbelievable feeling so he could come before Richard started to become too over sensitised.

 He realised Richard was still pushing back against him even though his orgasm had passed and Lee's second one of the night hit him so hard he was not sure what was happening

 The fingers lightly tracing over his back were what he came back to reality to, face pressed into the side of Richard’s neck, softening cock still buried inside him. “I’m crushing you. Sorry.” Lee ground out, kissing the neck near his lips as he sat up and slowly pulled out, hissing in sympathy as Richard winced. He kept  Richard's leg pressed to his chest, eyeing the come slowly leaking out of his hole and splattered up Richard’s torso. There were so many things he wanted to do to him now...

He glanced up to ask permission and got a finger wagged at him, “Don’t you even think about it!”

 Lee let Richard's leg go and collapsed next to him, his laugh ringing around the room as Richard grinned over at him.

“You looked like Martin then.”

Richard’s expression dropped, “And how do you know what Martin looks like after he’s come?”

Lee stopped laughing immediately; staring in horror at the dark look he was being given.

“Well?”

“I…”

Richard shook as he let loose his breathy laugh and Lee began swearing at him, reaching for a pillow. “No, no, no you can’t attack me I’m delicate. I’M DELICATE!”

“I am going to make you regret that you little shit.”

"No you won't."  Richard gave him his sweetest smile as he pushed himself to sit up, pulling a face when he was settled.

“You need help?”

“I’m not that delicate. Turn around.”

Lee grinned,“Why?”

“I don’t want you to see…um…me…urrrrh…leaking. More than you already did..."

“I could still suck it out if you change your mind?”

“Oh my goodness..." He sighed as Lee started laughing, "Yes, okay you made me regret that!"

"Sorry," Lee took his hand and kissed it, "I shouldn't joke."

"It's okay, no harm done."

He made to stand but Lee held him back. "I'll go get a cloth, don't get up you're sore."

"No, thank you but...no I need to..." His flushed skin went pinker and Lee pulled him down for a kiss.

"You are adorable and I love you." He spoke against Richard's lips before letting him go, watching carefully as he made his way stiffly to the bathroom.

 He came back with a towel to put over the wet spot and warm cloth for Lee to clean himself with, gracefully kneeling on the bed and kissing Lee sweetly. "Love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took four hours to edit (I blame tumblr) and I'll still have missed things. I felt the need to get that out and to also thank you all for reading, giving Kudos and leaving comments. They mean a lot!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the principal filming ends, our lover's meet when they can, and there is a flute.

Lee smiled from his place at the back of the crowd as Richard brandished Orcrist around with such a look of joy on his face Lee could see his eyes sparkling even over the heads of all the cast and crew.

  It felt weird, being on set in jeans and plaid without a wig getting in the way of everything. It felt even weirder to see Thorin in a hoodie- Thorin in a hoodie with Richard’s eyes and smile.

  Once Martin had finished prancing around in his dressing gown and the speeches were done the champagne was passed around and it became a flurry of goodbyes and swapping numbers and jokes about wigs and suddenly it was four hours later and they were all going home. It was strangely sad.

  “You’ll be back next year, and the year after that probably…knowing Pete you’ll be back again after all the films are released.” Lee whispered as Richard’s hand found his, both of them hanging at the back of the group making its way to the cars.

  “I know. I think I’ll miss Thorin though…”

“You have got to be joking.”

“No, I will. He was a good man. Well Dwarf. A lot of things I’m not …”

  Lee stopped, letting Richard go a few paces before using their joined hands to pull him back, Richard stumbling into him with a half yell cut off by Lee kissing him sweetly but firmly on the mouth, one hand in Richard’s hair and the other at his waist with both of Richard’s hands trapped between them.

  The whistles and cat calls, plus Martin’s retching sounds, made Lee pull back, gently tugging at Richard’s bottom lip with his teeth to smile down at Richard’s rapidly reddening face.

 “I’m going to shave your eyebrows off.” He whispered and Lee laughed.

  “Good luck to you and all.” Martin chirped up, “I mean, I wouldn't mind watching you two have wild, giangantor sex, but no fucking soppy affection please!”

  “Now you two young’uns, there's a few things you should know about birds and bees…” Mark began in his usual way, leaving off tormenting Graham to push between then. Richard was beaming as he put an arm around Mark and, on this rare occasion, became the centre of the banter. Thorin had been heavy on Richard’s shoulders for a long while, weighing him down even when his spark of ridiculousness came through, so it was nice to hang back and watch him truly relax, getting a few over on a relatively reserved Martin before they were all trying to out bear hug one another and falling into cars leaving Lee to walk home with Richard, arm around his waist, in pleasant silence.

 

  “Hey.” Lee called as he lent on the doorframe to the bathroom, watching Richard trying to wash glue off his face. “Fancy going out for dinner tomorrow, say goodbye to Welly for this year?”

 “The two of us?”

“Well, yeah.”

“As in the two of us and this place is so small we’ll pick up half the cast or actually just us two?”

“Just us.”

 Richard raised his eyebrow in the mirror. “Alright then. See if you can do it.”

“Wanna make it a bet? Wanna make it that if I do it you have to try something I wanna do and if I don’t…”

“No, ‘cause if you do manage to find somewhere actually secret you’ll come up with something deviant and if you don’t the only thing I’ll think of is to make you do my laundry.”

 Lee burst out laughing as Richard dried his face. “I would kiss you if I knew I would be able to pull away.” He said, watching Richard scrub at his beard. “Ya know, I can barely remember you without a beard…”

 “Will you change your mind about me when you see me without it?”

“No!”

“I’ll probably have a hideous tan line.”

 “Rich…”

 “Have to go into hiding for a month.”

“I’m goin’ to bed.”

“Byeee.” Richard grinned at him in the mirror and Lee sighed as he left to face plant into the bed, intending to stay awake for Richard but everything finally caught up with him and he was out like a light, only aware he had fallen asleep when sunlight was doing its best to get through the curtains and wake him up and he rolled over grumbling.

  It must have been a little while later that he woke up for good, the curtains now being thrown open and clear morning light illuminating the room like he had not seen in a while. He looked over at the bedside table to try and see the time. Instead he was met with clear blue eyes looking at him with a mixture of intense study and uncomplicated affection.

  It took a moment for Richard to realise he’d been caught and the duvet was over his head in a flash. Lee looked over the shape of the other man under the covers before grabbing it and tugging. “Cummon! I wanna stare longingly into your eyes too!” He protested, going between hugging the shape and tickling it before the grip was relinquished and Richard’s eyes appeared again, blush visible on his ears.

   “There you are! Much rather look at you than a blanket.” Lee whispered, running a hand through the unruly curls of Richard’s hair before he noticed the pale, smooth skin of his face went further than before. All the way down to his neck in fact. “You shaved!”

“Yeah.”

“When?”

“This morning, while you were building a cabinet.”

“I do not snore!”

“Of course.”

Lee moved so Richard had to roll onto his back, settling half over him so he could stroke the smooth skin of his jaw. “Your skin is amazing.” He whispered, feeling a giddy.

 Richard rolled his eyes, “It won’t last. I’ll have stubble by midday.”

“What's the time?”

“Just after ten.”

“Then I have no time to waste in kissing every bit of it.” Lee breathed as he grazed his teeth over the angle of Richard’s jaw, enjoying the way he squirmed underneath him.

 “Lee…” Richard sighed, the roughness of Thorin already disappearing from his voice as his hand cradled Lee’s ribcage.

 Richard opened his moth as soon as Lee’s lips pressed to his, letting Lee’s tongue lazily explore the minty-ness of his mouth as they kissed easily, slowly fingertips running where they pleased and Richard sighing as Lee pressed him deeper into the bed.

  The shrill of Richard’s phone made him pull back. “I gotta get that.”

  “Riiiiiiiichhhh.”

  “Come on, hour max.”

“Uuuurrrrrrrh!”

“Get off.” Lee flopped onto his back and watched Richard slide off the bed to grab his phone.  “Hey Annie….no it’s about eleven here…nothing that won’t wait….tired as hell, my legs are so sore. I don’t think my knees will ever be the same... yeah I start on Monday we’re flying over tomorrow morning…” Richard’s deep voice trailed off as he left Lee sprawled out on the bed, considering if a wank would be terrible manners.

 

 Lee was just about to give up waiting and start getting on with his day of packing; trying to decide whether he would regret not getting his hands all over Richard before they parted ways at LAX more than not getting to walk along the beach with him one last time this year, when Richard came back.

He was still on the phone, hair messy, a free arm around middle with his stripy pyjama bottoms slipped low on his hips, scratching one foot with the toes of the other.

 “I should be there by tomorrow evening…yeah…Lee’s here say bye Lee.”

“BYE ANNIE, THANK YOU FOR LETTING HIM COME BACK TO BED!” Lee shouted, laughing as Richards got increasingly more embarassed at whatever Annie was saying to him. He finally said goodbye, pretending to throw his phone at Lee’s head.

 “Arse!”

“What did she say?” Lee grinned, sitting up as Richard padded back to him.

“She told me to go back to bed and give you something to remember me by while you’re off suffering for Lincoln.” He came to stand in front of Lee’s knees, refusing to cooperate when Lee tried to edge him closer until he grabbed the back of Richard’s knees and made him move. 

 “What did she suggest would be the best way to give me such happy memories?”

Richard shrugged, “A few things I can do with my throat and mouth got mentioned, no big deal.”

“You gonna tell me how she knows about that?”

“Nope.”

Lee slipped his fingertips under the band of Richard’s pyjama trousers and gave them a gentle push so they fell to the floor. “Well I'm just going to have to do that special thing with my tongue until you tell me.”

“I’ll never talk.”

“Oh, I am gonna turn you into a wreck with just this.” He grabbed Richard’s arse as he waggled his tongue up at him, Richard grimacing as he giggled.

 “It’ll be a shame if you do and I’m just too done in to swallow.”

 Lee sat bolt upright, hands falling off Richard’s body.

“Seriously?”

“I was going to let you, but now…”

“Richard!” Lee whined, tipping his head all the way back, “Don’t tease me.”

Richard bent down to kiss him, “If you’re as good as you say you are…”

"Get your ass in the air and I'll show you."

 

                                                                                                        **\-------------------------------**

   “So many people came to see me on set. It’s so nice of the security to let them wait for me, and for them to come, gosh. About six times I’ve gone to meet people…”

 “Women of course.”

“…and one, one brought me an ‘Another Rubbish Sign For Richard Armitage’, that made me laugh, not sure how she knew about it…”

 “People do get BBC over here ya' know, they do know who you are.”

 “Nathan was like ‘Who are all these people coming to see my Dad?’”

“And the Hobbit isn’t even out yet.”

At that the gushing stream of chatter Richard had kept up since Lee turned up at his accommodation at Oakland University died away and the sound of him pottering around the kitchen of the student flat the college had provided all the actors became twice as loud.

  Lee could see the tension in Richard’s back from across the open plan space from where he was sat curled up on the sofa.

  “Come here.”

“But the…”

 Lee hopped over the back of the couch and wound as much of himself as he could around Richard, nuzzling into his soft chocolate brown hair. “They will adore you.”

“You’re biased.”

“They will. I promise. Everyone from the ages of nine to dead will love you. You _are_ the Thorin that comes running out that mountain and stabs every motherfucker in his way.”

Richard sighed and Lee held him tighter. “But that’s in two films time…”

 “I will throw you in my own goddam dungeon, I swear.”

“Alright, alright…geddoff!” Richard tried to shrug Lee off him as he nibbled on his ear, fingers straying to his buckle. “Lee, there are people I work with next door!”

“Evie and Martin were next door in Wellington.”

 “They were never in!”

“Sometimes they were.”

“Lee!”

 “Kinda hot them hearing us.”

“For you maybe.”

 “Should I have come or…”

“Well if you only came across country for a blow job then no.” From his tone to his posture Richard was screaming drop it so Lee let him go, taking a step away and leaning on the counter next to him.

 “Of course not, I just can’t keep my hands off you is all.”

 Richard twisted to look at Lee, face breaking into a bashful smile. He made to go back to whatever he was doing when Lee caught his chin and kissed him slowly, carefully- nipping at Richard’s bottom lip when he threaded his fingers into Lee’s longer hair, swallowing the other man’s moan when Lee ran his hands up the back of his T-shirt and down, ghosting over his butt to dig into the backs of his thighs and hoist him on the counter.

  “I wanna keep you forever.” Lee whispered against Richard’s cheek when they pulled apart for air. He jumped when Richard tugged on the Fernando Wood side burns Lee had grown himself, trying to glare at his madly laughing man. 

 “Still want to keep me forever, Mr. Steven Spielberg epic?”

“For some unknown reason…” Just then there was a knock on the door and without really thinking Lee grabbed the unsuspecting Richard around the middle and threw him into the closest bedroom, shoving a chair in front of the door and using his Elven stride to get to the door and throw it open.

 He assumed the kid standing in front of him looking increasingly confused was one of Richard’s kids in the film and Lee put on his best grin for him.

“I’m…Hey, is this Richard’s apartment?”

 “Yeah, he’s just a little _indisposed_ at the moment.” Lee knew full well his kiss reddened lips and mussed hair were on full display as there was a crash from behind him.

 “What the hell do you…oh hi Nathan.” Richard shouldered Lee to the side, face alarmingly blank as he tried to control himself.

  “If this is a bad time…”

 “No, my _friend_ Lee is just messing around.”

“Hey, Lee Pace- visiting from Washington DC to help Dickie with his accent.”

Lee waved as he made his way back to the kitchen, ignoring the look Richard sent him.

“Dickie?” The kid said suspiciously, looking between the two of them as if this was all a prank.

“So, what can I do for you Nathan?”

“Well, we were gonna go out, make a weekend of it. Thought I’d come in and see if you wanted to come. Lee can come too if he wants…”

 “We haven’t seen each other since New Zealand.” Richard lied, smiling as Nathan looked at them bothwith a little in wonder as he realised what he meant, “So I think we’ll give tonight a miss. Thanks for the invite. Next time, I promise.”

  Richard leant on the door and glared at Lee once it was closed. “What was that?”

 Lee shrugged, letting his eyes trail over Richard. “You look amazing.”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“Everyone’s caught their parents doing something embarrassing.”

Richard sighed, “You look embarrassing.”

Lee let out a startled laugh, “And yet here you are.”

“I’m going to pull your sideburns off.” 

                                                                               **\----------------------------------------------**

Lee loved Richard’s collar bone. He loved the way it curved just under his skin; skin far too thin for someone so tall and broad, so strong and warm. Lee had tried to press bruises into his skin before but it was not easy, Richard was made of strong stuff. Of northern winters, of harsh mines and poverty and mills and generations of hard manual work; it was in his hands and the breadth of his shoulders and the power in his body and the way his beard grew half an inch in a weekend.

  Yet his collar bone was so finely shaped, his wrists were narrow for a man his size, his legs tailing off into delicate dancers ankles. Even his face, with all it’s angles and his inability to control it when he became embarrassed, had a fineness to it. Lee loved his sweeping cheekbones and the curve of his mouth, the line of his throat, and his eyes.

  Lee would do anything for those eyes.

At the moment they were half closed in sleep, so Lee stayed peaceful for them.

He was in a play off Broadway while the Hobbit premiers were rolling around the world, still with the fucking sideburns. Even if he was in a play he kept a keen interest on the press tour, watching as much of the Wellington Carpet as he could, calling everyone for luck before hand or while they were on it, especially Richard. Lee has seen the panic attack over Skype, not even in real life, and it had shaken him to see Richard so afraid and yet he could do nothing to help short of dropping everything to chaperone Richard to all the press interviews, all those terrifying, judging, repetitive press interviews with a camera shoved straight in your face and every word you say could be twisted to mean something different - that had brought the panic on.

His worried phone call to Martin had been cut short with a, “You lazy fucker, can’t even be arsed to turn up is that it? Don’t worry I’ve got my eye on Dickie- bye gotta let the masses adore me.” He had delivered as well as he could, Richard could not be baby sat through this. He was third billed on one of the biggest films ever, he had to deal with it.

Lee paused running his fingers through Richard’s hair for a moment to look over his dozing face rested in his lap. But shit did he look pale. A cold was not far away, Lee had been run down enough times to know the signs of a burn out.

 He had spotted Richard in the audience during the first act of the play and had set a stage hand to go and get him after the curtain. He’d been met at the dressing room door with a cheeky smile, “You’ll never get tired of sending for me, will you?”

“Soooooo, this is Mr.Computer background…” Coco had cooed over Lee’s shoulder before he could even say hello, grinning at Richard who’s cheeks gained a flash of pink as he had given Lee a look.

 “I’m your background am I?”

“I'm not yours?”

“No, Carl is.” Lee had tried to look incredulous as Coco had pushed past him to say hi to Richard, which brought all the rest of the cast over to meet him and shoot Lee grins that only made Richard more flustered. Lee had finished up as quickly as he could; well aware that Richard could look like he was handling a crowd of people in a small space well when in fact he was going the whole ‘graceful swan above water, paddling like a motherfucker underwater.’

  They got Pizzas on the way home which Lee ate most of because being on stage made him so hungry and Richard had to fit in his suits for the next few weeks. Now they were on the floor of Lee’s apartment, Richard’s head in his lap with the rest of his body between Lee’s legs, bathed in the light of the commercials flashing across the TV.

  “I missed you so much, love.” Lee whispered, fingers again carding through Richard’s hair. “I don’t know what I’m going to do when you have to go home and I can’t go with you this time, if we can even survive working on different things on separate continents. I don’t…” He leant down to press a kiss to the end of Richard’s nose. “…I love you so much.”

 He sat up to look at the TV in silence, trying to control the feeling like he’d been punched in the chest. There was movement in his lap after a few beats and dark blue eyes with a big, beautiful, beaming smile that was only ever for him swam into his vision. “I love you too.” Richard’s sleepy voice growled before he kissed Lee. He tasted of Pizza and ice cream and crappy red wine and Lee could drown in it as he grabbed Richard’s face and kissed back gently. He could feel Richard smile as he settled down onto Lee’s tights, straddling his lap.

  Lee was unsure how they went from lazy kisses, Lee’s hands down Richard’s pants and making him roll his hips languidly against him, to slow, careful kisses broken so they could smile at one another, to Richard moaning as Lee lazily moved his fingers inside him, savouring every twitch of muscle, every flutter of eyelid, every gasped breath and every time hips rolled back to his hand. (He was sure where he found the lube; Richard had looked horrified by the graphic packaging as it appeared from under the couch).

He was unsure how they got from the floor to the bedroom, unsure how he got naked but he could remember ever single piece of clothing Richard shed and every inch of skin that was revealed.

He was very sure about the wavering keen he ripped from Richard as he slid all the way in, balls deep, pressing lingering kisses to Richard’s shoulders and neck and the spot just behind his earlobe as he rocked into him slowly. “Lee.” Richard gasped as he rolled his hips back to meet the shallow thrusts. Lee ran his hands from Richard’s ribcage down his sides to cup his hipbones, tugging his hips up into a better angle, the groan it forced out of Richard making Lee snap his hips forward which had them both gasping. He trailed his hands from the curve of his hips, down the front of his thighs, feeling him shiver under his fingertips, until he could plant his hands on the bed and move his hips harder against Richard who tipped his long neck back and Lee wished he had a mirror over the headboard to see the look on Richard’s face.

   “Lee, _Lee_ ….Lee _please_ …move faster and st…”

“Shhh, I don’t wanna…ah… _shit_ … hurt you for tomorrow.”

“Agh…fuck the premiere!” Richard gritted through his teeth as he began rocking back to meet Lee’s thrusts more urgently.

 “I will hold you down, I swear to… _riCH_!” Lee yelled into Richard’s shoulder as already tight muscles clenched around him so tightly Lee nearly lost it. “You little…” Lee wasted no time in putting his bodyweight onto Richard’s shoulders so his arms buckled and he landed chest first on the bed, Lee holding his hips where they were and giving a few hard and fast thrusts, nearly pulling out before slamming back in, until Richard was moaning into the pillow.

 “You…pushy…god…dam…bottom…” Lee hissed as he moved so he could fuck Richard harder and slower, drawing it out until they were both moaning and shaking messes and Lee snapped. He bent right over Richard’s pale, smooth back and bit into the skin just below the mole on his shoulder as the sounds of their moans was matched by the sound of his hips smacking into Richard’s pert arse, his hand blindly finding Richard’s dick and joining the hand already there so Richard could orgasm, the rippling of his internal muscles around Lee’s cock and the filthy sounds he made had Lee coming, collapsing onto Richard with his hips still stuttering into him.

  Lee came back from this white out at a sedate pace, throat raw from where he must have been yelling. He gingerly pulled out of Richard, kissing the dimples on his back when he made a pained little noise and sat back to admire the view.

 He ran the palm of his hand over the reddened globes of Richard’s ass, gently kissed his abused hole and licked at his own cum leaking from his boyfriend’s body. Richard shot him a muffled curse as he fell flat on the bed.

 “Why do I keep kissing you?” Richard muttered when Lee came and lay next to him.

“ ‘Cause I’m irresistible.” Lee grinned, feeling his cheeks burn as Richard’s still slightly dazed eyes ran over his face.

“Yeah, you are.” He ran his ever so careful fingertips over the freckles on Lee’s shoulders before bending himself so he could brush a kiss over them. “Now help an old man clean up before we have an incident.”

                                                                                  **\------------------------------------------**

 “Rich!” Lee bellowed over his shoulder, looking down at the open instrument case, “Come here!”

 “Where’s here?”

“Spare room.”

There was a pause before the sounds of Richard clunking up the stairs filled the quiet house. Lee had come to stay just as a dusting of February snow had made England shudder to a halt, which as someone who lived though New York winters Lee found laughable- Richard could only despairingly agree.

 Lee put the open case on the bed and stepped back as the door opened.

 “You summoned me?”

 “Why do you have a flute? Do you play the flute? Play me the flute.”

 Richard sighed,“Lee, why are you going through my stuff?”

“I was looking for the Yoga mat, but I found this.”

Richard gave Lee a long look before he came over and started to put the instrument together with the casual movements of one used to the actions. “I learnt it at school, at Pattison, I got a music scholarship with my cello so they encouraged me to pick up something else.”

“Cello…”

“If I told you it was at my parents would you believe me?”

“Of course not, I'm going to search for it tomorrow.”

Richard sighed as he raised it to his lips, running through a few scales, fiddling with a few of the keys that were sticking before turning to Lee.

“What does my esteemed audience wish for me to play?”

“Um…did Chopin do stuff for flute as well as piano?”

Richard looked like he wanted to sigh but stopped himself, “Yes he did, Chopin then?” He tapped the instrument on his chin a moment before seeming to decide, pulling his posture up straight and taking a deep diaphragm expanding breath. “I’ll do the second variation…oh whatever.”

   The music filled the room, not in volume but in how Richard eased the sound out of the instrument. There was something mournful to it, the notes seeming to flow in rich, decadent serpentine sways from Richard, his eyes closed as he moved with the music. The expertly placed bright notes that surprised Lee not once breaking the hypnotic flow of the music, the trills executed with a flourish from Richard were strangely flirty.

 But that could have just been Lee's ears.

 The last note Richard played resonated beautifully around them, fading into the afternoon air and Lee was back in Richard’s cluttered spare room in south London. Richard slowly let the flute drop from his mouth and opened his eyes to shoot Lee a self conscious look.

 “That was amazing Rich. I’m not an expert, but…yeah. That was good.”

 “Thanks, I’m alright at it.” He made to put the flute back, but paused when Lee moved to stop him.

“Really, that was beautiful. Thank you.”

Richard smiled at him, twisting the instrument in his hands. “Next time I have one too many I’ll play you some Cello.”

 “Really? Brilliant…” Lee watched Richard begin to dismantle the flute, itching to ask him so many things about woodwind and strings and music- wanting to be able to apreciate this talent as much as he could.

 “By the way Lee,"  Richard said softly as he gently clicked the case closed, "tell Ian or Martin about this and I will kill you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a little bit in here inspired by queenmab_scherzo's amazing fic 'Duet'. I hope she does not mind the homage.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which pick-up's are being filmed, emotions run high, there are gym times, gig times, and Lee leaves for Marvel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy SHIT the Kudos guys! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!

 The air was fresh and invigorating after the battering Wellington had gotten in yesterday’s storm, everything was fresh and bright and clear. The pressure headache that had made Richard almost unresponsive and very, very bad tempered for the past three days had gone as soon as the first flash of lightning had lit up the back lot.

  And now they were running again, together, along the wind battered seafront. Partly because the parks were a no go zone until all broken trees were cleared, partly to see the damage Jed had talked up to on a near apocalyptic scale and partly so Lee could pull as much of nature’s wild brutality into his lungs ready to dive into Thranduil again.

 There was a group of people around where one of the bridges used to be, admiring the beautifully shattered remnants of mans attempt to subdue nature, waves still breaking over the shattered lumps of concrete and twisted steel to remind the crowd that the sea was the ultimate power here.

  Lee jogged to a halt, taking in the powerful swells of the sea even though the storm had passed, the saltly water sprinkling his face, and the wrecked tree’s on the other side of the bay. He breathed in the power of nature, uncaring for the impotent defences that got in its way and stored it up for Thranduil, taking in the awed feeling of the destruction around him for the battle he would be fighting for the next three weeks.

  “Going to need more than superglue to fix that.” Richard pointed out as he came to stand next to Lee, the American sighing at the moment ruined.

 “I thought you’d be more respectful of nature’s power, more in awe of all of this. A bunch of water did just tip over a huge fucking bridge we drove over, like, five days ago as if it was nothing.” Richard scanned over the scene as he took a calm gulp from his bottle, “Or are you being Dwarven about this and thinking about how to put something pure and wild in fetters again?” Lee was irritated, the Thranduil part of him was quite cross, that Richard seemed unbothered by what had touched something deep in Lee’s own soul.

 “ _My cries are washed away upon the wind, My cramped and blistering hands can find no spar, My eyes with hope o’erstrained, are growing blind.  But painted on the sky great visions burn, My voice, oblation from a shattered urn!”_ Richard spoke gently, the rumble of Thorin in his voice like the thunder that had been booming out not three hours ago, eyes as bright as the clear post-storm sky. “You take the wonder of a storm passed for Thranduil, I take the hopelessness of being caught up in the rage of one for Thorin- both are equally valid.” He turned back to peer over the railing at the rocks and Lee felt chastised even though Richard’s demeanour was as gentle as ever.

 “I’m sorry.”

 “For what?”

“Snapping at you.”

Richard straightened to give Lee a guilty half smile, “No need. You didn’t really snap, me throwing a plate at you was snapping.”

Lee had almost forgotten the spectacular loss of temper he had witnessed from Richard two days ago .The magnitude of the storm weather reporters were chattering about on the news probably would have gone mostly unheeded by many of the cast if not for Richard’s sensitivity to the gradually increasing pressure in the air.

  Lee had come back from the gym and the atmosphere in the house had been as sharp as Thranduil’s tongue. He had tiptoed into the kitchen to find Richard emptying the dishwasher- the one thing he had asked Lee to do before he left in the morning. Lee had made to apologise, he had genuinely forgotten, and offer to do the laundry for the week to make up for it, but he had barely got the first word out before Richard had turned and threw the dinner plate in his hand with such force it flew straight through where Lee’s face had just been to shatter against the wall, sending shards of clay all over the kitchen. Lee had to dart out of the way again when the coffee pot was flung at him.

 The blind rage in those blue eyes had, for the moment before Richard had taken a deep calming breath, convinced Lee he was about to be murdered over washing up.

 Richard had been near to tears when he apologised profusely not a moment after he had thrown the pot. He knew Richard had been keeping just how terrible the impending storm was making him feel to himself, the fact he let any discomfort show at all spoke loudly about just how bad it was. Lee could not be too angry with him, his Aunt would suffer storm headaches too, and had ushered Richard into the living room so he could clean up the mess.

 “I told you we wouldn’t talk about that again, it's already forgotten.”

“I still feel guilty.”

 Lee pressed his hand into Richard’s lower back, “Broken plates bring good fortune in Greece and Sicily, I keep telling you!”

 “I suppose we couldn’t call ourselves an actors if we didn't have the odd tantrum.” The glint in Richard’s eyes gave away his serious face and they both started laughing, the tension that had settled between them for the past few days finally lifted. It drew the attention of a few of the locals, some who did double takes but before they could be recognised they were running, the air alive, the wet pavement bouncy under Lee’s feet.

Life was perfect.

 

                                                                                              -----------------------------------------

"So, how does being serenaded by seven hundred Tenacious D fans feel like?"

 Lee peered around the back of his his seat to grin at Richard who was sunk down in the back of Pete's car, only looking slightly less embaressed that when Jack Black had moved the spot light across from Peter Jackson to him.

"Wait t'ill next comicon Richard, hall H will go mad." Pete glanced back at Richard in his rear view mirror and began to laugh.

 "Why does one band have so many songs with the word 'dick' in it?"

"I warned you to listen to them before we came!"

"I did!"

"How many songs?"

"...four."

Lee and Peter both burst out laughing.

  

                                                                                            ----------------------------------------------

“Fucker.”

“Wanker.”

“Bitch.”

“Dickhead.”

 “Douchebag.”

There was a beat of silence.

“This is so firm and hard between my legs, it reminds me of something…”

Lee began to laugh and lost his grip on the climbing rope, grabbing wilding for it with his hands as his legs lost contact and he blindly cling to the rope that was swinging violently with the force of his body hitting it.

 He could hear other people in the gym murmuring in worry as he glared across at Richard who was still happily hung upside down, legs wrapped easily around the climbing rope, shit eating grin on his face.

 “You need more core strength and to do more work on your thighs.” Richard said loftily as he elegantly swung down off the rope. Adam’s face was going pink from where he had been watching them from the exercise bikes, eyes skittering away when he realised Lee had caught him watching Richard’s graceful decent.

 “I’ll work on your thighs if you don't watch it.” Lee grumbled, moving to pick up his shoes.

“If we put that on a the DVD we’d be able to buy New fucking Zealand in a week.”  Martin grinned as he skipped passed, throwing Richard a dirty wink, “Tell me when you’re next on stage Richard and I’ll come throw lots of money at you.”

 “Thought you only did that for Benedict?”

  Lee moved away from the banter to go up to Adam who looked as if he was going to crawl under the bike he was half heartedly peddling the closer Lee got.

 “Hey Adam.” Lee said with a smile, sitting down on the free bike next to Adam to try and not tower over the smaller man.

“Hi.” He squeaked.

 “You’d never guess who was playing the Dwarf would you?”

 “I didn’t mean anything by it Lee, honest, I was just admiring him. Shit! I mean watching. Shit... I mean, I was watching because he’s so graceful and I can barely run…”

“Don’t be scared, Adam, I haven’t come over here to tell you off. It’s okay.”

Adam let out a sigh and grabbed Lee’s arm, “Bastard! You could have said that to begin with!”

Lee laughed, “Sorry.”

“No you’re not, I thought you were going to come and step on me!”

“Okay, I’m a little bit sorry. “

“Are you sure you’re not angry with me?”

“No, I’m not mad at you. He is something else to watch when he moves. I don’t own your eyes and I don’t own him, plenty of straight people look at him so why not you. I've got more to worry about from Jed than you, he's an inch away from proposing."

Adam laughed, “I’m so glad you said that, I was feeling really guilty for checking him out in Boot Camp.”

“Adam!”

“Rich knows. I may wear glasses but I’m not blind!”

 

                                                                                             -------------------------------------------

  It hadn’t been real. He could see the flush on Richard’s face from the alcohol, feel him breathing, feel the strength of his pulse in the soft underneath of his wrist when Lee let his fingertips drift.

  He knew the stab of emotion Lee felt had flashed over Thranduil’s face during the earlier takes, had seen the same in his fellow actors eyes. It is why he could not find it in himself to hog Richard as they gathered in Aidan’s garden for drinks and chatter, making the most of spring sunshine as when in two months it would soon be winter in half the cast's home countries.

  Jed was sat on Richard’s other side talking less rapidly than usual, but Richard listened patiently as everyone else kept reminding the Kiwi to keep to the point he was trying to make. Mark and Graham were in fine form, a slight nervousness in their banter this evening. Orlando and Evie’s giggles less cheeky, Luke sat stiller than usual, Martin was quite quiet for him; even Adam looked a little downcast.

  Lee reached for Richard’s hand he was resting idly on the table top and squeezed it harder than he meant to. “You okay?” Richard whispered, face matching the concern in his eyes.

  “I…” Lee looked over to where Dean and Aidan were sat opposite him. “You guys were great today.”

  “We just laid there…” Dean said with a half hearted smile, but Lee pressed on.

  “I know. But you made us all care so much for your characters, for you, that it broke my heart to see you...” Richard’s other hand, cold from the glass of wine he had been holding, came to rest on top of their entwined fingers.

 “They did it though, Lee. They got the home back they had been dreaming of for decades, like you said. They go to their maker, Kili and Fili finally get to look their father in the eye as grown  ups. Thorin will see his little brother again. His mother …”

 “Oh my GOD.” Martin exclaimed, a slightly wild look in his eyes. “As if I need any more inspiration for sobbing my fucking heart out for the next three sodding days!” He waved a very Bilbo-ish finger at the three of them. “Don’t you ever die or I will kick your arses!”

  The laugher was forced and Lee felt even more like shit for trying to break the tension before it was ready. He stood and bent to whisper to Richard, “I think I’m gonna go back, sort some stuff out.”

 “Oh…okay, just let me go say…”

 “No, no. You stay.” He cupped Richard’s face in his hands and kissed him on the cheek as he had burned to do early when looking at Thorin’s dead face through the eyes of what passed for Elven grief. “You deserve their time, they need you here.”

  “You sure?”

 “Course.”

  He said his goodbyes to everyone; reassuring them all that yes he was fine and no Aidan he really didn’t want to take some beer’s home because he loved the taste in Richard’s mouth after he had been drinking red wine. Not that he mentioned the last bit of course.

  Luke had slipped into Lee’s vacated seat and Richard was laughing at something he was saying when Lee strode past, ducking down to press a quick kiss to hiss smiling mouth . He grinned at the very false glare Richard twisted to shoot him as he left, catching the look that passed across Luke’s face before Richard turned back to him.

 

                                                                           ---------------------------------------------------

Lee could forever watch the way Richard’s body moved as he panted. He may even record it one day so he could, the way his chest heaved as he pulled in controlled gasps of air and the way his abdomen rolled when he breathed out, the sheen of sweat across his shoulders and the faint tremble in those strong arms.

 Lee lent up and kissed the point where shoulder met arm, luxuriating in the taste on the smooth skin as he kissed down to the fragile skin at the crook of his elbow, grazing his teeth over it before falling back onto the bed. 

  Eyes somewhere between the last vestiges of the night sky and icy grey were looking down at him with such love. Such heart stopping love, the kind of emotion that makes you want to cry it hurts as much as it soothes. Richard’s eyes were always so expressive when he wanted them to be and now Lee felt assaulted by the strength of emotion in them, sure that people would be able to see how much he was loved when they looked at him, sure it would be burnt onto his skin.

 “You’re so beautiful.” Richard whispered as if speaking it too loud would take the meaning from the words. Lee felt the grin that spread across his face bubble up from the pit of his stomach. He had been called beautiful before, but never did it mean so much. “I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am you took that chance to kiss on me in the park.”

  Lee reached up to pull Richard down for a kiss, sighing as Richard's fingertips ran down his chest to rest on his abdomen.

 “I can’t begin to tell you how I happy I am I took this job. I mean, international exposure and eternal fame whilst testing my skills by playing a non-human is all well and good. But you are…”Lee kissed him softly, one hand rapped in his hair and the other cupping his ribcage so he could feel his breathing.

Lee never did finish that thought.

                                                                                    -----------------------------------------------

“Okay, is there anything you have forgotten?”

 “Umm…”

"Space ship? Ray gun? Cloak? Raccoon?"

"Funny!"

“Do you need this?”

“No, you can have it.”

Richard sighed from the depths of the closet, “…what have you taken that's mine?”

“Some things. You didn’t mind me borrowing your coat last time!”

“I don’t mind.”

“Then why are you sighing?”

 Richard appeared from the wardrobe pulling something out of the pocket of Lee’s chunky cardigan. “Because you were supposed to take this with you, not half my clothes!” He shoved the data card box into Lee’s hands.

  “Whaa…”

“It’s encrypted to your iPad so don’t leave it in it!”

“…how can you encrypt things when you care barely work twitter?”

“Someone kindly helped me.”

 Lee stood looking at the data card as Richard carried on fussing around him. It couldn’t be…could it?

  “Darlin’, is this… is this you doing naughty things?”

  “You’ll see when you get to London. Now, where is your visa?”

Lee grinned at the flush spreading over Richard’s cheeks.

   “Are you going to catch your plane to your next job or are you just going to stand there grinning at me like  _mphhh._ ” Lee grabbed Richard by his arse and pulled his hips into him so he could kiss him firmly, nipping at his curving bottom lip and making sure he tasted every inch of that mouth.

  “When you get home to London, after you’ve wrapped here, I am going to make you come so hard you won’t see straight.” 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem quoted is Storm-Racked by Amy Lowell.
> 
>  
> 
> *shameless self promotion*  
> I also have a tumblrrrrrrr grandpianopossessed.tumblr.com


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Richard has a bit of a jet lag / self doubt moment, there is a Birthday, and a bag of toys *wink wink*. (continued from Chpt 15, refresh memory of the end if need be)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have gotten a tiny bit carried away...woops...

Lee was as good as his word.

 Eventually.

After over a month of waiting and Skype and that adorably hot video Richard had made him, Lee was finally going to have some company in London. Richard had landed at Heathrow mid afternoon and finally got to his South-London home just after Lee had left it to go to the studio. Lee had practically sprinted off set the next morning to see him, but Richard was fast asleep when he finally got home. He had woken up when Lee had pressed a kiss to his freshly shaved jaw, muttering a half conscious, “I do have a tan line” before falling back to sleep. Lee curled around him under the duvet and began planning a holiday. He slept through most of that day, Richard leaving him asleep to apparently go shopping judging by the bags all over the living room, a note left on the fridge saying he’d gone out to dinner with some family for his up-coming birthday.

   Lee had never moved so quickly in his life, falling out the door to get to Harrods before it closed to get his present.

  It was days since Richard returned that Lee finally caught him not asleep or about to leave. He had heard someone showering while he was prone in bed, ignoring the existence of the day. It was only when he suddenly blinked awake that he put together the sounds of movements downstairs and Richard together. He jumped out of bed, trying to quietly search for the lube and shoving it in the pocket of his sweat pants when he found it.

  Richard was stood leaning on the kitchen counter reading something, bathed in the warm morning sunshine from the wide windows over looking the garden his brother had looked after in his absence, sleeves of his button up  pushed up his forearms, chino’s hugging his arse in the way they always did- the way that drove Lee mad.

  Lee strode over, grabbing him by the hips to tug him back against him, Richard letting out a quite undignified noise as he scrabbled to get purchase on the counter. Lee leaned over his back, using his extra height to pin Richard down as he ground against his arse, groaning into Richard’s ear.

“Lee don’t…”

“Have you been waiting for me Rich?” Lee had never initiated this before. He had literally jumped on Richard for other acts that he had obliged with his usual unaffected smiles, but Lee had always let Richard come to him for this, was happy to, because in those moments Richard loved so much and wanted him enough to trust him with it.

“ _Lee..!”_

“I’ve been waiting for you…”He slipped a hand down the back of Richard’s chinos, “…waiting to make you come so hard all this time…” He gave one arse cheek a squeeze and Richard jumped.

“S _top it.”_

Lee froze, the both of them drawing in heavy breaths for one long heartbeat before Lee extracted his hand and stepped back. It took another moment for Richard to straighten, taking a moment to calm down, re-organising his kitchen counter nervously.

 He turned to shoot Lee such a look of shame that he wanted to hold him, tightly, but was unsure how that would be taken after what just happened so he stayed put, trying to look as open and patient as he could with his heart thumbing in his mouth.

 “I…just… I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologise.”

They stood in silence.

“If that was a…a big romantic gesture for my birthday then I still appreciate it.”

“Shit is it the twenty-second already?” Lee glanced at the calendar on the fridge. “Fuck it is…when did that happen?” Richard smiled easily and Lee felt a lot better. “Stay..stay here.”

  He sprinted off back upstairs, throwing stuff from his pile of junk at the foot of the bed Richard always threw distrusting glances at to find the present, taking a deep breath to wrap it calmly in the most obnoxiously over-patterned paper he could find in Paperchase before bounding down stairs again.

  Richard was sat at the breakfast table, two mugs of coffee sat in front of him, smiling affectionately as Lee slid into the chair opposite him.

“Good morning Lee.”

“Good morning Richard, Happy Birthday.” He shoved the present at Richard who burst out laughing at the paper.

“Thaaaaanks…?” He grinned, leaning over to give Lee a peck on the lips before ripping into the paper, stopping the destruction when he got to the beautifully designed box, the make embossed on the shiny black lid in gold, opening it carefully. “Oooo, Shooooes!” Richard gasped, picking up the brogue boots and waving them, eyes bright.

 “They’re called Shoobs.”

“…Shoobs?”

“Shoe-boots.”

Richard raised an eyebrow as he checked the label, eyes widening to hilarious dimensions. “Are you sure, Lee?”

“Richard....”

“But…they’re shoes.”

“They’re very nice shoes that will suit you is what they are. I could take them back and exchange them for diamonds I suppose.” Lee teased. “I was considering Lingerie but I think I’ll wait a year before tempting you into panties.”

Richard gave him a look like he was unsure if Lee was joking or not, face going through several emotions as his ears went pink before he ducked down to slip them on, standing to give a elegant twirl for Lee.

 “See, I knew they were worth it.” ‘ _Only the best for you_ ’ went unsaid as he pulled Richard to him for a kiss, noticing him tensing for a fraction of a second before kissing back sweetly, warm hand cupping Lee’s face.

“Earlier,” Lee breathed against Richard’s lips, “did I come on too strong?”

“Lee…”

“You don’t have to give me details if you don’t want, I just wanna know. I don’t want to put you in that situation ever again.”

“You shouldn’t have to.” Richard snapped, more to himself that to Lee.

“What?”

“Feel like that. You shouldn’t have to worry about putting me in a _situation_ , I try not to be so neurotic because you deserve…”

“There is not a single thing wrong with you, you are perfect, and I love you- no matter what.”

They stood, inches apart, Richard staring at Lee slightly disbelievingly, as if this was a trick, as if he still could not quite believe him.

  It was that moment the doorbell rang and they both jumped.

“Ah, that’ll be Luke,” Lee said brightly, trying to break the tension, bouncing up to go and get the door, “and the actually birthday surprise.”

“Luke’s my surprise?” The tone in Richard’s voice made Lee turn.

“Well, sort of. A part of it. From Ian.”

“You knew he was coming?”

“Yeah, he’s bringing the Taxi…”

Richard frowned and made to speak, but obviously decided against it as he slipped past Lee to get upstairs.

 

 

 

The surprise from Ian was a full three course lunch, on him, at his pub, for everyone in town for Richard’s birthday. 

  Sir.Ian met them at the bar, declaring to the whole building it was his, “Dear boy’s birthday, my own favourite dwarf. Shall we give the lad a Happy Birthday?” and Richard had nearly melted with embarrassment as a room full of strangers obeyed with gusto.

  The downstairs dining room had been closed for them and Lee was beaming as he saw the look on Richard’s face at the crowd waiting for him. Martin and Amanda had brought their children who insisted on leading the chorus of Happy Birthday before the littlest one came over to tuck a flower she had found on the way there into Richard’s hair.

 Jed was another surprise, leaping out from under the table to jump on Richard who was laughing his head off.  “Geddoff him, Jed! We want to hug him too.” Graham laughed as Jimmy jokingly tried to tug Jed off Richard.

“Nah Graham, I flew from Wellington for this. I get more time with the birthday boy that _you_. Where did you come from? North London? Nothing.”

 They were just settling down to eat when the final surprise came in the form of a woman they had only seen in pictures. Richard nearly fell over himself to sweep her up into a hug, her sonorous laugh filling the room as she hugged him back just as tightly.

 “Happy Birthday, I was going to come and see you sooner but when Sir.Ian McKellan tells you you’re a surprise you stay a surprise. Oh darling how _are_ you!” She gushed as she hugged him again.

 “I am sure all of us here have seen the delightful Annie on stage, or indeed worked with her at times, come my dear sit, sit.” Sir Ian conjured a extra place out of nowhere between himself and Richard.

  The food was wonderful, the chatter was hilarious, Annie was effortlessly loveable and Richard looked fit to burst he was so happy. The booze was also free flowing, so free flowing that instead of a quiet night in with Pixar as Lee had expected he ended up at the VIP area of quite an exclusive Gay Club in Soho being told loudly by Richard that good red wine did not give you hangovers as him, Aidan, Jed and Luke downed the third round of shots Ian had bought them that hour.

“Sweetie, you haven’t been drinking wine for about two hours now!” Lee shouted over the noise of the thumping music coming through from the rest of the club, but all he got in reply was Richard squishing his nose and telling him he was adorable.

 Lee rolled his eyes and ordered champagne before Ian could get Richard even more drunk.

   “We need a great big glass so you can dance in it.” Ian said dryly as the starstruck gender unspecified server poured out the drinks, a twinkle in Ian’s eye as Aidan and Adam started talking about if bathing in champagne would actually be pleasant.

  Richard sunk down in the plush seat and leant his head on Lee’s arm, champagne untouched. “I think…think I should stop now.” He said quietly and carefully, nudging Lee’s arm until he wrapped it around him.

 “I think that’s very wise,” Lee said gently, pressing a kiss to Richard’s hair, “because I’d hate for you vomit all over these very nice sofa’s and get Sir.Ian banned.”

 Richard leaned back so he could peer up at Lee, “Silly! You know very well I … **I** do **not gag**!” He declared loud enough for Luke to choke on his drink, Sir.Ian to try and look innocent, and for some people in the neighbouring circles of couches to shoot interested looks in their direction. Lee did not know whether to pretend as if he had not heard a thing or to get on the table and tell everyone Richard was his. He decided on just shooting glares until everyone had turned around again.

  Richard pulled himself up so he could lean his head on Lee’s shoulder with a deep sigh. “If I was less drunk I'd get a taxi so we can go home so I can let you finish what you nearly started this morning.”

 Lee tried not to sigh, he really did. He supposed it was the Birthday Boy’s prerogative to be all over the place, he was no stranger to waking up a year older and not wanting to be looked at. “Good thing I’m hardly drinking isn’t it, ‘cause you make it so hard for me not to drag you into a taxi right now…”

  “Richard!” Aidan declared, appearing in front of them seemingly out of nowhere and making them both jump, Adam peering over his shoulder.

“Richard, we’re going to find the smoking thing. Come.” Luke said, moving past them with a cigarette already hanging from his lips.

“Don’t smoke.”

“Richard!” Adam grabbed a hand a pulled, “Come!”

 Against his better judgement Lee stayed put and watched the five meander away towards the main club, deciding to give them forty minuets before he went to find them.

 “Annie, darling,” Ian’s gentle voice carried across those left who fell silent, all attention on him, “could you be a saint and put a guiding wing about our adventurers so they come back to us.”

 “Permission to break wandering hands, Sir?” Her sonorous voice carried like Ian’s and Lee had to smile at the glint in her eyes- she looked more than capable of breaking bones.

 “Granted with gusto, my dear!” Ian laughed along with the others, delighted, as she swooped up her bag and strode after them.

 More drinks were ordered and Lee had a chat about his time in Saudi Arabia with Lara and Lucy who shared giggly tales about some of the things they all got up to in Hungary filming Robin Hood.

 “You, my dear, are far too sober.” Ian said as he slipped into Richard’s vacated spot and refilling Lee’s glass when Jed and Graham’s wildly varying accounts of the horses became centre of the conversation.

 “I wanna make sure Richard gets home okay is all.”

“Do you really think I would not ensure everyone here will be safe at the end of tonight?”

 “…No…”

Ian moved his glass of whiskey to his other hand to grasp Lee’s shoulder. “Richard is a resilient fellow, more than he give’s himself credit for. More intelligent than he will ever let on, that mind of his ties its self up in knots and we actors do so hate ageing… especially when we have one as pretty as you looking at them the way you look at him. Even I would feel like melting under that look! Of course, if I am not being presumptuous, he isn’t exactly getting worse with age. I can see why you gaze at him with such fire, I admire your restraint, if he was mine I would never let him leave the bed.” Lee felt himself go bright red and glanced around to see if anyone could hear Ian who was not speaking in as quiet a voice as Lee would like.

 “Fuck…how do you do know about that?”

“I am a Wizard, my dear boy! Do not worry, Dickie, for all his gentle nature and quiet disposition is a tough as old boots. I take it you have already been shown the error of your ways?”

“Yeah…”

“Then drink, be merry, and stop hovering around him like he’s about to swoon. You are forgiven! Have a nice time with the man you _Love_ because from the way some people are looking at him they would quite like to have a nice time with _him_ …”

Ian gracefully went back to his seat just as the wanderers returned. Luke and Aidan chattering away about some piercings they had seen on the terrace, Richard and Annie, joined hands swinging between them, chatting to Adam following on behind. Lee drained his glass and stood, took Annie’s other hand to turn the three of them around and pulled them towards dance floor.

 “What are we doing Lee?” Annie asked, quite happily being towed along.

“We’re getting a round of Jägerbombs and then we’re going dancing like animals.”

“Looks like today is an early birthday treat for me.” She smirked, slipping a hand around Lee's waist and tugging Richard in closer.

  Annie and Richard could dance, perfectly in tune with one another and Lee felt a flare of something as he imagined if it was like that when they had slept together. That soon left his mind as they switched their graceful moves to dance like him, limbs flailing slightly dangerously and pissing a few of the clubbers off as they sung along like drunk eighteen year old's and it was perfect. He had never been happier dancing.

 Lee could see why Richard loved her. Annie was poised, fun with a quick, easy sense of humour, and a flash of danger in how she danced between the two of them like they were all going home together. Would Richard want that? _Fuck, did Lee want that?_  

He could not even find it in himself to feel jealous when she made sure Richard drank a glass of water before they were all piling into taxi's, taking care of him like it was second nature. Richard gave her a peck on the lips before falling into a taxi which made everyone on the pavement laugh.

  “It was lovely to meet you, Lee.” Annie cooed as she gave Lee a tight hug, pressing a kiss to his cheek and swirling away to her waiting car.

 

 

  “She is one hell of a woman, Rich.” Lee broke the comfortable silence in the back of the Taxi.

Richard’s head rolled around to face Lee from where he had leant it on the window, a bottle of water in his hands that had appeared out of nowhere. “Annie is the most beautiful woman I ever saw.” He said quietly before carefully pitching over so he could lay his head on Lee’s thigh, “Guess who the most beautiful man is?”

“Aidan.”

“Don’t be a fucker Lee.”

Richard very carefully paid the driver when they got to his house and Lee guided him to the door despite Richard reassuring him he still had his legs and could walk.

“Were you sad because Luke went home?” The question came out of nowhere and Lee paused with the key in the door.

“Well we’ve come home haven’t we, so makes sense for him to go home…Why Luke?” He would have added, 'I thought that you'd want Annie here', but it was too late/early for him to press a tipsy Richard with that.

“Why, why Luke?” Richard blinked up at him and grinned as Lee pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“Come on you.” Lee quietly ushered them in, attempting to be silent, aware people would be getting up for work in a couple of hours, but as soon as his back was turned Richard was clumping up the stairs singing.

  “Leeeee! I had a friend named Lee, He cast a spell, A spell on mee! LALALALALALALALAAAA! Skiiiiinny-dippin’ in a sea of Lee, I'll propose on bended knee! To Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee!”

                                                                     ---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Lee had felt better, he had to admit, but he had also felt a lot worse. He dared not look at the time, they had finally got to bed at four am after last night- FOUR AM! Lee muttered about being too old for all this as he rolled over to snuggle into Richard but was met with empty mattress. The bed was still warm, just, and Lee pressed his face into it so he could breath in his smell, the interest it sparked waking him up enough to open his eyes.

 “Riiiich!” Lee called out, rolling over and sitting up, scrubbing his face with the palm of his hands before looking around the room.

 Richard was stood at the end of the bed, completely naked and flushed from the shower, damp hair pushed back from his face with a determined look in his eyes.

 “I found this.” He announced without preamble and dumped a bag on the bed Lee did not realise he had been holding, a bag that made Lee groan when he recognised it. He had been meaning to sit Richard down and talk about not being quite so vanilla for quite a few months, nothing too dungeon and whips just the odd thing to add another dimension, and now he was sure he was going to get shouted at. “You should have told me you liked stuff like…”

“I didn’t want you to find out like it was some secret, it's not. I was going to talk to you but…well, I didn’t. If you’re not interested I can get rid of them.”

"Getting rid of them is a little drastic isn't it?" 

"I don't plan on using any of it with anyone else." Lee felt his heart swell at the shy, adoring, embarrassed look that got him, 

“You were serious about the Lingerie weren’t you? I thought you were.”

“Rich…”

“What else do you want. I want to know what you want.”

Lee paused to look at him, trying not to get distracted by how beautifully naked Richard was. It was too early to try and be this brave.

"Lee, tell me or I'm getting dressed."

“I want…I want to fuck you so hard it brings tears to your eyes. I want to watch you fuck yourself on one of those dildo’s. I want to spank your ass until it’s red and hot and fuck you. I want a dirty blow job in a public restroom. I want you in a corset. I want to take you away for a weekend, keep you open and loose so I can have you whenever I want.” Richard let out a small gasp at that but Lee pressed on. “I want to come in you, plug you up, get your mouth on me until I’m hard again and then fuck you ‘till I come again and then finish you with my tongue.”

“ _Shit.._.” Richard blinked in shock and Lee felt himself smiling at how curiosity was mixed with how taken a back he was. “We can do those things. We can do one now if you…”

Lee scooted forward until he could reach Richard and pulled him forward to kneel over his lap. “All I want is you, that,” he pointed to the bag next to them, “is all secondary, fun stuff, but you are more than enough. I'll never get enough of you.” He skimmed his fingertips all over the gloriously smooth expense of Richard’s bare back.  “I don’t want to hurt you either…”

“I’m not fragile. If I don’t like it I will tell you to stop. Besides, some people get two dicks up their arse so you …”

“Have _you_ ever got two up there before now?” Lee spluttered, brain trying to process what Richard had said so casually. 

 “No, have you?”

“No, do you want to?”

Richard paused, “I never really thought about it to be honest.” He scrunched up his nose. “Where would the other person..be? How would three people be arranged for that? Oh dear…”

Lee burst out laughing, kissing Richard wherever he could reach. “Don’t you ever change, ever, don’t you dare.”

Richard squirmed as Lee nipped along his collar bone, gasping when Lee bit down on his pectoral as finger tips skimmed his entrance. Lee pulled his head away like he had been slapped when he felt slickness under his fingertips, two fingers easing in without any resistance, Richard tipping his head back and letting out a sigh that went straight to Lee’s cock. "How long have you been up?" 

"'bout two hours. Since eleven. Don't need old man sleep like you." Richard grinned unrepentantly so Lee nipped at his throat. 

“Next time, please let me watch you open yourself up for me, do you know what it does to me to know that you know in advance…I just…” Lee fumbled for the bag in one hand whilst he slipped a third finger in, hips bucking when Richard rocked back against him.

 “Come on you…got it…this, Rich, this vibrates.” Lee held the curved, thick blue vibrator up for Richard to see, gasping when over bright eyes opened and looked at it, a hand coming up to cover the blue silicone.

“Idiot, I know what a vibrator is.” Richard rumbled and Lee kissed him.

“I’mma use it, okay?” Richard nodded and let Lee manoeuvre him around so he was bent over the end of the bed, pert arse in the air and Lee could not resist leaning down to lick at his hole, teasing his entrance with the tip of his tongue until Richard whined. He gave the toy a healthy coating of lube and pushed it in carefully, keeping an eye on every twitch Richard made just in case. He fucked it into Richard leisurely to try and find his prostate, watching his body take it so easily, grinning victoriously when Richard gasped as he nudged it. “I’ve got’cha.” Lee whispered against his lower back as he gently pressed the base so it clicked on and Richard jolted, nearly falling forward onto the bed as Lee fiddled with it until it was on pulse.

 “oh…oh _shit_.” Richard gasped as Lee ran his hands down Richard’s sides, moaning when he felt Richard’s abdomen contract at each pulse against his prostate. He carefully flipped Richard onto his back so he was laying in the middle of the bed, arranging Richard’s legs so they were bent with his feet planted on the mattress and stood back to admire his work.

 Richard was blushing, the light tan on his skin making the flush look darker. He was loosing the bulky muscle needed to be Thorin, which Lee would miss, but he liked the smooth sweeps of his ordinary body much more, elegant muscles moving under unblemished skin, hip bones sharp, his toes digging into the mattress at regular intervals. He was gasping in anticipation of the pulse so Lee pressed it again so it went to random and Richard swore at him, eyes bright, one hand twisting the sheets by his head and the other digging into his thigh by his straight, hard, pink cock.

 Lee crawled onto the bed and grabbed his dick, making eye contact as he licked from base to tip, smiling as Richard moaned. “Hold the pillow by your head, darlin’.” Lee ordered gently, moaning when Richard complied without even a raised eyebrow. Lee licked up the underside again, digging the tip of his tongue into the vein and forcing a cry from Richard. He swallowed him down as far as he could, moaning at the feel of him on his tongue, gently pressing the vibrator so it nudged Richard's prostate between pulses. 

“Ooh…oh…oh…shit… _Lee.”_ Richard gasped when he could find the breath, pressing his head down into the pillow as he tried not to buck but failed. Lee rested his free around the base of Richard's dick so not all of it could get into his mouth; he could not take a cock to the back of the throat like Richard.

 Lee smiled to himself as he felt the legs either side of him trembling as Richard tried to control himself, could feel feet slipping on the covers to get purchase, could feel the heel of one foot cautiously press between the cheeks of his own arse and Lee nearly choked on the dick in his mouth, wishing he had pulled his boxers off so he could feel skin against his hole.  “You cheeky little, goddam…”, Lee gasped as he pulled off with a pop and sunk his teeth into Richard’s thigh, sucking on the delicate skin to leave a mark as Richard nearly screamed.

  “You liked all that, huh?” Lee growled as he crawled up to kiss Richard, fucking his tongue into his mouth to the same rhythm as he had just been sucking him off. “You were disturbing the neighbours last night with your singing, and you’re disturbing them now.” He kissed along Richard’s jaw, skin smelling of his shaving foam and as smooth and the rest of him, to nip at his ear so Richard moaned, squirming underneath him. “I could keep you quiet with a tie, gag you with it, but that’s no fun is it?” Lee whispered, burying his face into Richard’s hair.

  The noise Richard made rumbled up through Lee and he gasped, scrabbling to push down his underwear, moaning when Richard’s warm hands came to cup his hips and give him a small tug forward.

 “Oh…aren’t we eager?” Lee cooed, giving the vibrator a firm push and holding it there so it was pressing against Richard's prostate, only letting up with the other man started to yell. He shuffled up Richard's long body so he was knelt across his broad chest, reaching down to run a hand through Richards’s hair, toying with the lengthening strands, running his fingers down his face to ghost over his eyelids and run his thumb over his swollen bottom lip. Richard moaned gently, dark eyes fluttering closed a moment.

  “Love you.” Lee breathed out, his breath catching in his chest when Richard looked up at him and smiled.  Lee pressed the head of his cock against Richard’s bottom lip and waited, their eye contact holding for a moment before Richard lowered his eyes, dark lashes resting on his cheek, and swallowed him down.

  Lee grabbed the headboard for stability and rocked into that tight, wet, heat that vibrated with every moan Richard let out. Lee bit his arm to stop the moans punched out of him by every bob of Richard's head to meet his thrusts, a warm hand coming to cup Lee’s trembling thigh.  “You…ah…that other hand better not be on your dick.” Lee growled, smiling to himself with the missing hand re-appeared on his ass. “Oh yes…take it.” Lee hissed and pressed in deep, feeling Richard’s throat flutter around him as he chocked, Lee pulling out to let Richard take a few breaths before pushing back in. 

  He did it a few more times between rocking into that mouth, nerves on fire every time Richard gagged and had to heave in great breaths. He took a moment to look over Richard's face between his legs before moving his weight back a little so he could circle his hand around the other man's dick. He felt Richard’s moan vibrate around him as he bucked, letting Lee slip from his mouth to let out an almost pained yell. 

“Richard?”

“I’m ok. I just… fuck….it moved…when….”

“Do you want me to reposition it?”

“No.” He took a few raged breaths as Lee continued to pump his cock before letting Lee into his mouth again.  Wet noises filled the air along with the sound of their moans and the faint nose of the vibrator, Lee digging the fingers of his free hand into Richard’s hair for want of something to hold. Everything was on fire, he could feel the build up of heat at the base of his spine, feel his orgasm slowly coming just as Richard slammed his head back into the pillow, leaving Lee rocking into nothing as his body tensed and he came with a ragged moan that echoed off the walls.

  He kept moving his hand over Richard until he felt his cock soften, staring down at his face until the tiny twitch of discomfort started Lee into action. He scrambled down to the end of the bed and switched the vibrator off, easing it out carefully, feeling the other man wince as he was left empty. Richard’s legs collapsed down straight with a thud, coughing gently as he tried to pull as much air into his lungs as possible, face red and lips even redder and slicked with spit.

Lee worked his hand over himself furiously, cock angry (as angry as an appendage could ever be) that he had stopped just as his orgasm had began to build. He would wait and see what happened first, Richard getting his breath back so he could finish what he started or Lee coming all over him, he did not care as long as he came.

 It turned out it was neither. A warm hand touched his leg and Lee moaned at the contact, locking eyes with Richard and moaning again when he realised he was watching him jacking off. “Stop.” Richard’s voice was hoarse and husky, rumbling from his throat and Lee had to squeeze the base of his dick as he was dangerously close to coming right there.

 “Do you want to finish in me?”

“Oh fuck…” Lee hissed, having to squeeze again at the heavy throb his dick gave, “…you sure you can take it? So soon?”

“Come and give me a kiss and I think I’ll be okay.”

Lee did just that, throwing himself on Richard to kiss the grin off his face, running his hands wherever he could as he ground against his hip, gasping as Richard moaned into his mouth. “Oh shit, okay, one second….” Lee forced himself away from Richard and scrambled for the bag that had been kicked off the bed at some point, rummaging through what was in there until he found it.

“ _We has it my precious my love, we has FOUND IT.”_ Lee crowed in his best Gollum voice, holding up the cock-ring triumphantly as Richard’s face caved in on it’s self in the best grimace he had ever seen, pressing his hand against his eyes for a good long moment, letting it fall back onto the bed as he shot Lee a look of despair.

“Just get it over with before I replace your face with Gollum forever.”

“Hey, that freaky guy could fuck you two ways t’ill dooms day.” Lee grinned, laughing at the look Richard shot him as he lubed himself up to slip the simple black ring to the base of his cock, turning slightly to give Richard a better view of it.

“You’re far too relaxed for someone with a cock that red and angry.” Richard sighed, trying to look unimpressed but there was sparkle of amusement in his eyes and Lee pushed his legs up and to the side so he could lay down on top of him, biting at Richard’s already swollen lips.

“It’s ‘cause I know I’m going to make you come again.” He whispered, kissing Richard with a hint of desperation as he began to fondle his cock gently, stroking him in time with his kisses as he stopped himself from rutting against him, sometimes shaking with the effort when Richard’s breath began to hitch, the cock in his hands twitching before beginning to harden again, Lee hissing as he lined himself up and pushed in.

  Richard was loose and slick and warm, muscles spasming as Lee pressed forward until he was all the way in, Richard whimpering gently into Lee’s hair.

 “Alright?”

“Yes, yes, Lee.” He gasped, rocking back against him as his fingers dug into Lee’s back and Lee wanted to scream in triumph at how desperate Richard sounded after he had come not fifteen minuets ago.

“You better be soundin’ like that ‘cause you wan' it.” Lee growled out as he rocked back until only the head was in and thrust back smoothly, pulling a deep noise from Richard’s chest.

 “I am going…ah yes…yes…I am gonna…ah…rip your stupid hair out…fuck.” Richard panted out as Lee set a pace, hard and deep, hands twisting in the sheet’s under Richards shoulders as the other man wrapped himself around him, a hand in his hair and the other at his ribs, heels digging into Lee’s lower back with every thrust in.

 Lee felt like he was going to fall apart it all felt so good, Richard tensing his muscles every time Lee pulled out as if trying to keep him in, his lips against Lee’s ear, his pants against his skin, the deep rumbling moans making Lee moan in turn, nails scratching at his back as Richard tried to find something to hold.

 “Tell me what I feel like.” Lee growled, pushing himself up so he could kiss Richard sloppily, snapping his hips forward harder so he could swallow the other man’s wail. “Tell me.”

“Warm, you’re so warm…ah…Lee…bigger…bigger than usual. As…as big as you get when you’re about to come, but all the time... you…it burns…a good burn. Fuck, yes…a good burn…a good stretch. Even after having that up my arse you…you’re still stretching me. I…ah.. feels so good. I can feel you twitching, every time you…drag…ah…across my prostate…i fe…feel it. Ah fuck Lee, I can feel the…I can feel all the lube in me.”

 “You like that? Fuck...You like feeling wet?” Lee growled, pushing himself up on his elbows, knees getting purchase on the bed to fuck him harder.

 “ _I feel like a slip 'n' slide. How...ah Lee fuck yes...how do porn-stars keep...ah...straight face.”_ Richard’s giggle came from nowhere and Lee found himself smiling, suddenly aware he was dirty-talking his boyfriend while wearing a cock-ring. “ _Fuck my ass Lee, fill it up, oh YES.”_ Richard’s giggle became his semi-hysterical chuckle as he fell back against he bed, pushing against the head board to meet Lee’s thrusts, eyes tight shut in a mixture of pleasure and amusement. Lee laughed as much as he could at how ridiculous and amazing this was, burying his face in Richard’s shoulder and he kept fucking him.

 The laughter returned to gasps and moans, Lee holding Richard’s hip in one hand while he jerked him off with the other, blindly chasing a release that hit him like a fuck-tonne of molten gold, a scream being ripped from him as Richard clenched around him in his own release, either not letting out any noise or Lee simply could not hear him over his own orgasm. Lee collapsed like a sack of bricks, his muscles not moving even if he wanted them too, smiling into Richard's shoulder at the warm feeling spread all over his body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the Kudos and for reading and everything *squishes*


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which tempers flare, the boys are dumb, things are awkward, there are arseholes, and one sided discussions of the future.
> 
> (TW: Implications of homophobia, one mild slur, and discussion of bullying)

    

  “You know where we should go? India, you would love it. We could stay with some friends I made while shooting The Fall, travel around, go Sri Lanka. Take six months out and just go. Go Nepal. It’ll be great.”

 “You would get so bored not working.”

“Not if I had you to keep me busy.” Lee waggled his eyebrows at Richard making him blush furiously as he glanced around at the people chatting away at the other end of the table.

 “They’re talking about banning gay sex there, so you may not even have that.” Richard said quietly around the rim of his drink, ducking back when Lee tried to wipe sticky fingers on his nose.

 “Don’t be the bell of doom. I can be discreet!” Lee ignored the look Richard shot him to concentrate on his Chicken Wings. “Besides, you’re British, it’ll be fine.”

“Oh will it?”

“Yeah, just get a slap on the wrist and let go when the ambassador turns up.”

“Maybe…still can’t help the fact you’re American. Lock you up on principal.”

Lee shrugged, “Price of freedom.”

“Please!” Richard rolled his eyes as he nibbled on a Burnt End, still fidgeting to get comfortable in the cramped booth. The restaurant may have been exactly like some of the diner’s Lee had been in all over the Mid-West and South but it was still on a tight London scale with people being forced to share tables- not that any minded because the food was so _good._ They ate in silence, Lee sinking under the ‘American’ sized portions while Richard just grinned at him, Lee’s earlier statement of, "It won’t be anything like proper BBQ", in the glint of his eyes.

 

“India would be nice, the change of pace would be nice.”

 Richard declared as they wandered through Clapham Common between the people soaking up the long, warm summer evening while it lasted- making the most of what passed for a lazy afternoon in London. Lee caught Richard’s fingers up with most of his own so he could trail his thumb along the soft skin stretched over the bone on the underside of his wrist.

“What, up 20 gears?”

“Yeah, experience a real presses of life- a totally different, strong, ancient other culture. A real other culture not with overtones of European, not that there is anything wrong with that, but I think the departure might do me good.”

“Or give you a panic attack.” Lee said as they paused to let a gang of dogs gallop past, having the time of their lives.

“You brought it up!”

“I was thinking more romantic get away, ya’ know. Private homes and hotels, private tree houses in Goa, the Taj Mahal, and watching the sunrise over the Himalaya’s from a climber’s camp, and car hire.”

“You mean you don’t want to ride on top of a train?”

“…I kinda do…”

“Me too.”

They walked in silence for a little bit, Richard being very still as he soaked up the sun shine, a small smile on his face with that far a way look in his eyes he got when he was thinking.

  Lee was also thinking about the other man in his life, the one who must be feeling a little abandoned at his parent’s home in Texas. Carl was not getting any younger, he was getting to be a grumpy old man in dog years and it was not fair on him for Lee to go gallivanting and leaving him behind more than he already did.

 “I’d have to find somewhere to keep Carl for six months, it’s not fair leaving him as it is.” He tugged on Richard’s hand to pull him closer to press a quick kiss to his cheek. “You’ll have to come get work in America with me and leave India for a bit. It’s not going anywhere.”

Richard was quiet for a while as they walked past one the ponds that still had children running around it chasing ducks or racing the toy boats on the water.“I suppose that’s best.” He sighed, dropping Lee’s hand and turning on his heels to walk back towards the station. “It’s twenty minuets to Leicester Square on the tube; I’m off to get Häagen-Dazs in the shop. You coming?”

 “After all that food? I have a costume to get in, we have premieres!”

“Yeah…but chocolate ice-cream.”

“Good point.”

 

                                                                                          ___________________________________________________________

Richard held up the trousers to himself in the mirror and pulled a face, a face Lee knew well from his nieces and nephews, one that spoke of uncertainty and stubbornness.

 “Do you really think I can pull off tartan trousers at my age?”

“They’re not tartan, they're blue checked.”

“They’re tartan.”

“Yes but a classy one, a faint one. They’re cut really well you’ll…what do you mean ‘at your age’?!”

“It’s a bit…”

“Different?”

“…yeah, I like it. But…on me? Really? Won’t I just look silly?”

Lee came up behind him and slipped his hands into the front pockets of the trousers Richard was holding up, leaning his chin on his shoulder. “I think you will look delightful. When has Urbani: The Mistress of Fashion let you down before now?”

“People hated that suit in Japan…”

“Some people, not all. I liked it.”

“ _You_ wear bright orange beanies for jogging.”

“That’s because I’m fashion forward!” Richard burst out laughing and Lee pressed in tighter behind him. “I do admire that you will stand out by wearing all this different stuff she gives you, I know it’s not easy for you to be centre of attention.” Lee pressed a kiss to Richard’s hair and pulled the trousers up so he could look at the label.

“Oh wow! Westwood! You’re going to be more than I can afford soon!”

Lee was not quite sure about the look Richard shot him, Richard did not look sure about it either as it turned into a roll of eyes, “It’s just a momentary up in the rates, it’ll settle down again soon.  You won’t have to take so many jobs to keep me.”

“Nah, you’re gonna keep on getting expensive. I don’t mind if I get to come home to you.”  He kissed the side of Richard’s face, not noticing the look had returned, and pressed the trousers back into his hands.

“Might put the rates up more if you’re willing to pay, these things are a sellers market.”

“A cruel exploitation of my heart!” Lee declared, pretending to swoon against the wardrobe, “Yet, you could take everything from me if you would only let me love you in return!”

“Mmm…nah, I could not take _everything_.” Richard turned and lent as if to kiss Lee but stopped short of his lips, “You could keep the fashion forward beanie.”

 

                                                                                -------------------------------------------------

 

Lee was not a violent person, he was not even that much of a arguer. He could have his moments, his family loved to regale people (Richard) with tales of his tantrums and moods as a child, and his Agent had dealt with a few sulks when he could not get Lee into an audition he wanted.  He could never understand people who did get into fights, who liked to argue, who mouthed off to put someone down.

  Anger did not come easily to Lee Pace, but he was feeling a little angry now- and a little angry was growing into quite a bit angry.

“Ignore them.” Richard said, Lee wanted to, knew it was the right thing, could hear his Pastor telling stories about being the bigger person and forgiveness but it was hard to listen. It would be alright if the looks and the not very quiet whispers were directed only at him, but they were not.

  “I’m gonna smash his teeth in.”

“Don’t…”

“I’m gonna throw my dam chair at ‘em, I’m gonna scream, Rich. Just ‘cause they’d rather disappoint a woman in bed than a guy they think they can _judge us_.”

“Lee, don’t look at them look at me.”

“Aren’t you pissed at this?”

“Yes, but letting them know they have touched a nerve only encourages them.”

“Yeah, and going over there and telling them what they are might get them to stop once and for all.” Lee tore his eyes away from the mirror behind Richard’s head to look at him and wished he had not because he could see how on edge he was. “Shit, hoping they will stop is all well and good but sometimes you gotta be the angry guy to make it stop.”

“I’ve dealt with bullies before Lee, they will get bored and move on…”

“And just take it in the mean time?”

“Rather that than cause a fucking scene of everyone looking and not helping, everyone saying it was equally your fault because you stuck up for yourself but you _should_ stick up for yourself because you are big enough. The bullies knowing you will react and they keep coming back again and again until you have to leave.”

 Suddenly the pricks at the bar making comments and shooting dirty looks did not matter, the quiet awkwardness in the pub as people began to notice what was going on was nothing, meant nothing, because there were the eyes of a desperately sad and angry twelve year old boy looking at him across the table. Lee wanted to find whoever had dared to pick on Richard as a kid and kick them in the face! He reached out and grabbed his hands, not caring about the comments and guffaws that got them, squeezing them tight and trying to show how sorry he was when a voice echoed across the pub.

 “I’m sorry gentlemen but I am going to have to ask you to leave.”

For one horrible, sickening moment Lee saw the look of shame on Richard’s face, both of them assuming it had been directed at them. Then Richard blinked, and the look was replaced with a mixture of smug pride as he looked over at the bar and Lee turned in his seat.

  “What? Why?” One of the group at the bar said.

“You are disturbing my customers, so please leave.”

“Mate, we’re just having a drink. I don’t know what people have been saying…”

 The Landlord lent further over the bar and everyone stopped what they were doing to watch. “First of all, I am not your ‘ _mate_ ’. Second of all, no-one said anything. I’ve got eyes in my head I saw what you were doing and we," he pointed to the bar-maid who was collecting empty glasses from the tables, “both heard what you were saying. I will not have that kind of thing in my pub, please leave.”

“We were here before them!”

“Come on guys, just go.” Someone else said, standing up from his table and walking over to them, “They’re sitting quietly and you’re the ones that were making a scene. I don’t want my grandkids to see this kinda stuff…”

“Fuck you, why you sticking up for those queers?”

“Right, out now!” The landlord shouted, moving out from behind the bar and the other guy moved closer.

“Listen, we were all having a nice time until you came in and you can all go somewhere else if you are so bothered by something you see in here. Because I assure you no-one else gives a dam. I won’t have dickheads ruining my Sunday. Now you can either apologise to them and be quiet, or leave.”

 A cheer went up as the group left, Lee sharing a nod with the guy who had stoop up to them and assuring the Landlord it was fine and a drink on the house would be lovely, all the while squeezing Richard's hands.

 

 “Why would you not want me to stick up for us?” Lee whispered later that night in the privacy of their own room, running his fingers through soft hair. Richard glanced up from where he had his head lent on Lee’s thigh, warm breath brushing over Lee’s skin like silk and sending shivers up his spine that had nothing to do with his sweat cooling on his skin.

  “Mmmwhaa?”

Lee laughed despite himself. “You’ve come harder than that and have still been able to sass me! You know what I meant.”

 “You mean earlier?” Lee nodded and watched as Richard pulled himself up to kneel between his legs, face still flushed and lips still wet, feeling a little bereft from the warmth and weight of the other man on this thighs, “We should not have to stick up for ourselves. That I love you is nothing abhorrent or wrong. It may not be to everyone’s personal taste, but that’s okay. I don’t…”

“Surely it’s better that we sort it out ourselves than let other people do it?”

“I know what you mean, I do, I understand, but sometimes it takes people seeing that their...their shit universally won't be stood for...to stop them. If you had gone over there they may have shut up, or they would have had a go at you and I don’t want to see that. You’re so caring and kind and sweet and just…just wonderful. I don't want to see people being cruel to you.”

 “That’s my point! I didn’t give a dam about what they said about me but I was going to protect you from that…”

“And I was going to protect you from it being said to your face.”

“I would rather that than behind my back…”

“I’m not ashamed if that’s what you’re getting at.” Richard snapped, sliding off the bed and tugging on the nearest shirt and shorts, which happened to be Lee’s.

“I never thought that for a second. Richard!”

“Next time I’ll walk over and smack them in the face if that is what you want!"

“Oh, now you’re over reacting!”

“Well my genuine reaction didn’t seem to be enough.” Richard growled, turning his back on Lee as he began to tidy, a nervous habit that had been more prominent lately.

  Lee also slipped off the bed and grabbed a pair of pants, arguing while naked was a little too ridiculous for him, “I just want to know why you would sit there and take it.”

“Making what they were saying any bigger than what they are makes it worse. They were little people whispering shit, Lee- utter bollocks- reactions from the people they're directing it at makes them feel bigger because they got to us, and they’re not. They’re ignorant and have nothing better to do with their lives.”

 “Then why let other people defend _us_ and make a deal out of it? Like we need to be validated by everyone else.”

Richard stopped sorting through a draw of cables, froze for a moment before taking two deep, shaky breaths before his shoulders dropped and he turned to face Lee with such a look of defeated annoyance on his face, in his very body language, that Lee realised he had pushed a little too far.

 “I am sorry. I am, honestly. God forbid it but if that ever happens again I will not say anything or do anything to stop you doing what _you_ think is best. It means a great deal to you and I should have realised that...”

“Rich don’t, don’t be like that! I never meant for this to get so heated. We’ll go downstairs and…”

“No, no.” Richard’s voice was calm; no hint of emotion, no glint of tears in his eyes, and that hurt Lee more than if he had been sobbing. “You brought this up now. Here, in my bedroom, in my private space, you brought them and their shit here and let them get to us while we were being… I swallowed, because I wanted to do something nice for you, just because I love you and I know you like it and I wanted you to feel good. I don't expect a fucking parade for doing it, I didn't think I wanted anything in return, really, because I didn't realise not wanting hate brougth up in bed was not a universal thing. You could’ve brought this up earlier or later but you didn’t, so do _not_ tell me not to be like that!”

 “I’m sorry, I hate fighting and I hate fighting with you even more but please, you gotta talk to me about these things. Don't just get angry! I don’t bottle things up like you guys, we have to find some middle ground in how we talk to one another.”

 “We never had to be in a middle ground to talk before.” Richard sighed, eyes flitting around the room before look Lee in the eyes again. “Can you go downstairs and just…do stuff for an hour.”

“I’m not leaving you while we’re both upset.”

“Lee, please go downstairs or I am putting trousers and shoes on and driving to Leicester.” There was no room for arguing or placations in his voice, even less in his eyes and Lee had to do as he was told, picking up a hoodie and storming off downstairs.

 He seethed for quite a while, having an imaginary argument with Richard as he lay on the couch listening to the TV. Once he had gotten all of that off his imaginary chest he started to wonder about why Richard had been a little off since he came back from New Zealand, wondered what had changed between them to make the giggling and the teasing less easy. He thought about when he had become so serious and adult and worried, when he realised he loved Richard so much he wanted to scream it at the same time as keeping it secret and safe. People already gossiped and wondered, but he felt they deserved so much more than being known mainly for doing something as natural and common place as falling in love. He wanted to protect Richard and make him happy and be there for him all the time and he could do that if, for now, he kept on working as much as he could.

  He then started to worry- worry that Richard was letting him go, worry that something had happened in New Zealand, worry that he had done something and not realised he had done it, worry that Richard thought he was working so much to avoid him. Lee pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and tried to keep the tears down at the thought of losing Richard.

   He did not know how long he had been laying there trying to control himself, but eventually he noticed Richard was stood in the doorway and sat up wiping his eyes, scooting up the couch to let him so he could sit down with space between them, if he wanted. 

 Richard looked at him for a moment, so unsure, before crossing to sit as close to Lee as he could and taking Lee’s hands up in his own to press kisses to his knuckles. Lee felt himself let out a ragged breath as tear’s of relief threatened to fall, Richard dropping his hands and pulling Lee’s face closer to his to press kisses to his cheeks and lips. “Don’t you ever cry over me, Lee, don’t you dare I can’t bare seeing you upset.” He whispered and Lee tried hard to stop a tear rolling down his cheek but could not stop it, sighing as Richard pulled him in for a hug.

 “I’m sorry, Rich, I’m so sorry- please…”

“It’s all in the past, what’s done is done, it’s forgotten. I don’t love you any less, I think it’s gotten to the point where I never will. It’s okay, we’re okay, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Lee said into Richard’s neck, squeezing him tightly.

“I’m sorry too, Lee, I’m so sorry I lost my temper with you- again. Can you forgive me?”

“Always, god I love you too much…” Lee pressed his face harder into Richard’s neck, letting the feeling of a hand in his hair and a hand on his back soothe him, soothe them both as he tried to not sob, clinging tighter when he felt a tremble run through Richard. He could not help but feel he should not be forgiven this easily; despite disagreeing on what went on Lee should never have tried to discuss it in bed, especially when Richard was gloriously naked and pressed against him. He should not have been thinking about anything or anyone else, let alone those fuckers.

“Anyway,” Lee said after a while, shifting so he could rest his head against Richard’s chest, pressing his ear against his warm skin to hear his strong, steady heartbeat, “You throwing a plate at me was losing your temper…”

Richard laughed, the sound echoing up through Lee, “I thought that was forgotten too?”

 “What was forgotten?” Lee grinned, squirming when Richard pinched him gently, the both of them shuffling around so Lee could snuggle down into Richards’ chest, “Hey, instead of India we can go to Peru and Mexico.”

“That would be nice.”

“We can climb mountains and look at ruins and gold and visit a rain forest.”

“Do they have rainforest in Peru?”

“We’ll find somewhere that does and zoom down there. It’s not that far from New York really, four hours I guess? We can go see my parents in Houston, leave Carl there and it’s a two and a half hour flight to Cancun. We can go next year, you’ll be in the states anyway- in New York with me, so South Americas will be perfect.”

Richard was quiet for a moment, fingers drawing patterns on Lee’s back. “I suppose so…” He muttered, pecking Lee on the lips when he glanced up at him, “I can’t wait.”

                                                                -----------------------------------------------------------------

  

 “I won’t be coming to the premiere tour, Rich.” Lee broke the news one morning after they had come back from a run. “I have a job, in the states. I will try to come to the LA one, they’re pulling me in for interviews next week for press…”

  Richard was looking at him like he didn’t know whether he should be happy or disappointed. “Is it TV or film?”

 “TV, then I have another film. Then maybe more TV…” Lee trailed off as Richard sighed, he knew this would not go down very well.

“Will you make the last film?”

“Do you want me to come?”

“Don’t let me dictate what you do. If you want to support the film it’s up to you, I would love you to be there but if you would rather work…”

 “I’m working for us. So we’re not so stretched all the time, so we can take the time to go to India together, so we’re secure, so we can be togther.” Richard was still giving him that unreadable look as he drank from his bottle and Lee felt like he had missed something quite important. “Don’t look at me like that, maybe if you did a bit more writing we wouldn’t be in this position.”

Richard’s face fell into a frown. “I wasn’t aware we were in a position.”

They stood looking at one another in the hallway of Richard’s home that had also become Lee’s too at some point over the past few months.

“I just wanna it to be so I can be with you all the time.”

Richard moved forward and kissed him. “Me too, Lee. Me too.”

“You understand don’t you? You’ll be patient for me?”

“When am I ever not patient? I love you of course I will be.”

 

A couple of days later Richard announced he had been asked to come and help with some theatre projects in New York by some quiet imporant people from the RSC and the National Theatre, as well as some writing offers and a couple of auditions in LA . He would be leaving at the end of the week.

  Lee knew he had upset him a couple of days ago, no not upset- patronised, but not this much. He had assumed after the argument last week Richard would talk to him more but the opposite was true. Lee gave him a searching look over breakfast that Richard avoided, his shoulders tense as if ready for another fight. Lee held in a sigh and put a smile on his face that made Richard relax. He was an idiot, if Richard had said anything about Lee missing the premiere there would have been another argument, there nearly was anyway and he had just given Lee a look.

  What happened to the easy chatter and comfortable silences that Lee remembered from New Zealand? When did they get so turbulent? When had he become unapproachable?

 “How long did you know?”

“Agent called me this morning while you were showering. I’ll miss you. Want me to go pick Carl up and bring him back to your apartment for when you come over?”

Lee apologised that night by making love to him slowly and carefully, drawing it out long into the morning and until they were both so exhausted and sated afterwards they could only lay panting.

  Richard still left a few days later.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU ALL FOR READING *smooches*
> 
>  
> 
> FYI: Anyone in the London area/ curious the restaurant they are at is Bodeans and it is very good.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our lovers continue to be dumb and the strain reaches it's limit

 

He smiled at the lock of hair that had gotten loose to fall onto Richard’s forehead probably while he was whipping around trying to talk to everyone, Lee could feel his stylist sighing through the computer screen. Richard had gotten so much more confident since last year's premiers and it made Lee’s silly grin grow wider.  His tan was getting pale again like it always did when he went from heat and sunshine to winter cold; he had told Lee it was what English skin did when he had first noticed it last year, Lee’s worry turning into hot kisses pressed all over him whenever he noticed Richard’s smooth skin had lightened a tone.

They had gone down to Texas for Thanksgiving again and it had been like it was the year before - as easy and natural as breathing. Lee’s mother and sister still cooing over Richard, his father still laughing his head off at Richard’s dry humour, and still the sounds from the next room of his cousin’s dragging Richard out of bed at god-awful times in the morning (Lee’s parent’s may be more than accepting of who he loved but there would still be no un-married couples sharing beds under their roof).

  Lee had been eager to take advantage of the fact outside did not count when they had taken a family walk through the lush fall countryside around the house. He dropped them back from the family group out for a walk so he could push Richard up against a tree and kiss him hard, trying to put all his love and joy and relief into that kiss. His mother stumbled across them when Lee had his hand down the front of Richard’s jeans and Lee knew that for once his blush was more than Richard’s.

 Lee’s mother slipped her arm through Richard’s when they had both neatened themselves, placing herself firmly between the two as they made to catch up with the rest of the group. “Now darlin’, you mustn’t worry. I’m not angry with you. It was my boy who had wandering hands so he will not get any dessert tonight.”

“Mooom!” Lee had wined as Richard laughed but with a few gentle words and his sweet as honey smile he had her relenting and Lee got his cherry pie.

He had never been more in love then he had in that moment.

But at the end of Thanksgiving Richard was off to New Zealand with Tami via Hawaii- Dean, Aidan and the Sarah’s joining them for a mini-holiday. At the airport when they were parting ways at the gate Richard was holding him so tightly Lee had to physically stop himself from going to buy a ticket on the next plane to Hawaii and joining him, going on the press tour with him, walking down the red carpet with him hand in hand.

But that was an idle dream, one picture of them holding hands would overshadow the whole film in the media. The success of the film would be accused of being swelled by people coming just to watch the two names in the headlines; the story, the characters, the crew, the cast deserved more than that. Richard, who worked himself to exhaustion several times over, deserved more than that.

So Lee had let go and stepped back, noting the sad look in Richards eyes and it felt horribly like an ending as he watched Richard shoulder his back-pack and head off towards a waiting Tami.

 

So Lee was here, in a hotel room at stupid o’clock watching interviews alone, again. 

 It was the shot of Luke with his hand on the small of Richard’s back, holding him so comfortably, that riled Lee. He had watched the livestream’s of both premieres- offering his support from the other side of the world at times- and wished so badly he could have been there. See Orly and Evie again, Peter and Philipa…but work had to come first now, he was in high demand, he was high profile. Actor’s rarely stayed in such high demand for very long, there was always someone new on your heels and he had to get everything done now, get secure.

 He had just assumed Richard would be there when he could afford to take his foot off the gas, had assumed even after the look on Richard’s face when he had missed his last chance to come along for the experience. The slightly less enthusiastic than usual chatter he got from Richard over Skype was a massive hint, if he did not already know, that he had screwed up a little. He had not seen Richard in weeks and would not see him again until into the New Year.

  Lee put his head in his hands as he sat cross legged on his hotel bed, listening to the rest of the Cinemax interview.

 Luke was great, interesting, fun, full of the confidence male posturing brought and oozed that type of Welsh charm that made people pay attention to him and Lee should be heading the press tour with Richard, not him. He loved Luke, he was a friend and such a laugh and a decent guy but right now Lee wanted to shove him out of that chair.

 

*ping* 

_Sweetie we miss you so much! You are missing out on some amazing things- but they’re not so amazing if you’re not there._

_Here’s the boys charming the Spanish world._

_Eve xoxox_

There was a link attached and Lee clicked it.

It was a Spanish music awards show where Richard and Luke were presenting an award, an awards show where Luke showed off his talent for languages, where Luke turned and started singing to Richard in Spanish.

 The whole time they had been in New Zealand Luke had been like this with Richard, friendly gentle harmless flirting. Richard thought nothing of it and Lee did nothing because Luke was a good man, a friend, and it was just how he was with people he genuinely liked. Lee was irritated by it now because he was not there, not able to behave around the man he loved in public like Luke was and he knew he was being slightly hysterical but he had wound himself up so tight he could not be sensible.

  What hurt the most, what made Lee wish he had done something different in his life, was that Richard had obviously not asked Luke to stop, knowing Lee would be watching.

 He glared at the YouTube window until Ricky Martin was on stage and messaged Evie back, “ _Luke has such a lovely voice, shame they didn’t do a duet. Luke would love if they did it. So much flirting on that stage_.” Before he slammed his laptop down and curled up on the hotel bed.

He hated hotel rooms.

\--------------------------------------------------

 

 “ _Lee, I know I haven’t been very talkative lately and I hope you can see why. I…I shouldn’t have to hope you’ll understand I’m a little peeved because you did not discuss this career path, that involves me, with me. I didn’t say anything because I never had to actually say these things to you before and I hoped…I hoped we were still like that. But I don’t think we are._

_I can see you’re not the same, I’m not sure if I have changed, but I…err… I trust you …you have had my trust since, well- since you know what._

_……_

_I just thought you would trust me….”_  

Lee gasped as he flailed with his phone, trying to see if he could rewind the voicemail.

He slammed it down onto the floor, heart pounding in his throat.

 Richard would never dump anyone over voicemail, he could never be that cruel.

Lee desperately scrabbled for his phone, hitting the number to make it play again.

 “… _Since you know what._

_…._

_I just thought you would trust me, Lee. I…I let you in, gladly and without any hesitation. You deserved me to be sure about you and I… how can you be suspicious of me now? After all… Luke could sweep me off my feet to…to…to I don’t even fucking know and treat me like a fucking princess and I would still love you, you prick._

_You call me when you get this!”_

Lee was needed on set in an hour, a car would be there soon to take him to the studio and…

“Fuck!” Lee shouted at the ceiling as he ran to turn everything off , making sure all windows were closed (for some panicked reason )and he locked himself in his bathroom to make extra sure the driver would not hear him when he came to his room to get him.

 

Richard picked up after the fourth ring, a slight tremble in his voice, “How _dare_ share any concerns you may have about my faithfulness to _anyone_ before you discuss them with me!”

 “Evie is not anyone.”

“No, but it’s not her business. Do not turn this around on me! She came to me at the fucking break between fucking interviews to ask if we were okay! She’s going to tell Luke to back off!”

 “He needs to back off Rich, you’re mine!”

The silence down the line was the worst thing Lee had ever heard.

 “If you have such a problem with him you should have said something in New Zealand when he was doing it infront of you. Or did you get off on the thought of it?”

“Rich…”

 “I don’t stop him because he knows he has no chance, I make that perfectly clear. If he wants to keep flirting despite that then I will let him Lee because **I am not your property**.”

“Can you not see how this could bother me?”

 “Bother you? What about all that shit about me having _lovers_. You liked the idea of me fucking around well enough last year, _I thought you’d like it_!”

  The panic crushing Lee’s chest and putting a haze behind his eyes made him miss the uncommon sarcasm in Richard’s voice and he felt like he had been shot in the heart.

 “…WHAT?”

“Don’t be dense Lee, you know I wouldn’t do that.”

Lee fell silent, at a loss for words he was so flustered and confused and the relief was overwhelming when he realised he was wrong, the worse sound in the world was not that silence, it was the sound of welling tears in Richard’s voice.

 “You thought I would, you don’t trust me.”

 “Rich…”

 “You think after the time I took with us that I would lay on my back for anyone. You think I’d fuck Luke, throw it all away, because _you_ are busy or…or… you might _like the idea of it_. That is a long fucking way from letting him bat his eyelashes at me you tosser.”

 “I do, I do, Richard I do I trust you with my life I am being…I want to be there with you and I can’t be there with you and I just…”

“How dare you, that was your choice!”

“You didn’t ask me to come!”

“Why should I?”

 “Because you might want me there for support?”

“You’re in the fucking film too.”

“That’s not the fucking point!”

“I want you to be happy and you had made your mind up that what _you_ wanted to do was work. So therefore I assumed you would be happy.”

“But you’re not happy…”

“I wasn’t aware I was withholding my feelings on the subject….”

“….we’re a couple, we communicate, and we compromise.”

“We’re a couple that haven’t spent more than a month together for over a year.”

 “Richard, we….” _were working._ The words sounded hollow and pathetic now, like he was making excuses. 

  “And you can hardly talk about compromises when you expect me to move to America for you and fit my career and my life around you without even asking me.” Richard sighed, “I would do it in a heartbeat for you, anything to be together, but you didn’t even ask.”

 “I didn’t think I needed to.”

 Silence fell between them and Lee did not know how to break it, he did not know what to say and it sounded like Richard did not know either as Lee listened to him breathe.

Eventually Richard who spoke first.

 “Lee, if Luke makes you uncomfortable you just say and I will sort it out. I will stop it. That’s all you need ever do.” He sounded tired and upset, like he wished Lee was with him. “I will not suffer guilt tripping and snide accusations from someone I love. No matter how much I do love them. You are so far from that person Lee, you...you are the best of...of us. But I have been through it before and never again. Do you understand?”

  Lee nodded, and then squeaked a yes as he felt himself about to cry again. This was all too much, he had always suspected something like that had happened in the past, something Richard had put away along with so many other things that had made him seem so fragile when Lee first touched him. To have it confirmed now, when he could see all his happiness about to plunge off a cliff edge, was like a knife in his gut. He could not even hold him.

“Please don’t cry Lee, please. We’ll get over this, we will. I’m…I’m…I’m not going to give up and you better not either.”

“I’m not going to, I would die before I did that.”

“Don’t you dare do that either.”

“Right back at’cha.”

“I may want to throttle you right now, as I’m sure you do to me, but I still love you so much…”

 “Richard, I am so sorry. I understand. I understand I do I was… I have fucked up, and I knew it and what I’m saying means nothing. I didn’t mean that I didn’t trust you. I don’t trust Luke.”

 “You know how dumb that sounds, don’t you.”

“Yes… yes I do. I’m sorry.”

Richard let out a deep sigh, “No matter how I’m feeling about you working every hour you possibly can, you can always talk to me. And I will talk to you, because I’m not innocent in this. We have phones now, and emails. We have to stop being so…”

“Such men?”

Richard huffed out a laugh and Lee felt better.

“Basically.”

 “…Rich, I don’t get off on the thought of you fucking other people. I never have, despite what I said that time. I… I thought I got off on them wanting you.”

  There was a beat of silence.

 “And now?”

“And now I really want to kiss you.”

 “Not until next year, darling.” He could hear the sad smile in Richard’s voice and it broke his heart.

“God, don’t make me get on a plane…”

“Wouldn’t do you any good, I’m off to America tomorrow. Our dumb film is highest opening weekend earning or something and guess who’s the third billed idiot who the studio deems to have nothing better to do than go over there for one fucking day, a week before Christmas.”

  “I can always tell them you’re doing me?”

Richard laughed. “You’re not allowed to watch that video I know you still have for at least a week, I’m still not happy with you.”

 Lee bit back the cheeky comment as there was an urgent knock on the door, he must have ignored the others. “I think the driver is a minuet away from calling security to open the door, I can tell him I’m ill if we need to talk more.”

“You go to work and blow off some steam, I’ll worry about you being all lone. I love you.”

 “Love you too.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Luke gets to give his side of events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Challenge: read Luke's parts in a Welsh accent

 

Three times Luke’s name flashed up on the screen while his phone rang accusingly, and three times Lee sat as still as he could, holding his breath in fear that somehow the slightest noise or movement would be sent through the ether and Luke would know Lee was ignoring him.

 He probably already knew that Lee was avoiding him.

 For such a large cast flung half way across the world the dynamic was still like they were all on top of one another in Wellington judging by the calls and emails Lee had been getting over the past few days. They went from Orlando’s opening , “Oh mate, what the hell happened?”, through Aidan’s quite stern, “You’re both idiots, but you have some nerve…sort this out”, to Martin’s frank and terrifying, “You’re a good guy, but you’re not Richard. He assured me you are not to blame and this is under control blah blah- but if I see or if I hear that you have made Richard miserable again I will destroy you. I am _not_ exaggerating.”

  Lee’s sister sighed when the phone went again and shot him a look that told him he was being a coward, “You gotta talk to him, you both need to talk stuff out.”

 “I’ve already talked to Richard.”

“Oh we both know you would not be ignoring Rich, speak to Luke!” She said as she left the room, giving him another pointed look before closing the door.

 Lee took a deep breath and picked up his phone.

“Lee?” Luke sounded shocked that his call had been answered and Lee swallowed.

“Hey Luke, umm…I’ve only just got my head into the space to speak to you...”

“I understand. I would rather talk to you in person but this is the nearest thing we got. I err…well I’ll cut to the chase; I’m sorry about the way I behaved, but I don’t regret it.”

Of all the things that had darted across Lee’s mind when he answered the phone, that was not really what he expected Luke to say.  “…That’s not even…what?”

“You both needed a bloody wake up call, but I didn’t expect it to go like this.”

“So you’re the saviour of our relationship _because_ you’ve spent most of it chatting up Richard?” Lee growled, getting up and starting to pace the length of the couch. He was as pissed off with himself for getting angry as he was at Luke for being unrepentant.

“And who put it in need of saving?”

“If you’re going to…”

“Can you blame me? Honestly? Have you seen him? At least I didn’t jump on him like you did...”

“That has got nothing to do with this. I didn’t pick up so you can tell me how this is my fault ‘cause it sure as shit has a load to do with you.”

“I admit I was wrong and you haven’t exactly been a saint, ‘ave you? He never once gave me back off signals, he made it quite clear I never had a chance, or I would not have even looked at him- but I did back off. Then for this press tour-”, Luke sighed like this was something he should not be explaining, “Lee, he was so bloody sad in New Zealand, and he wasn’t much better in LA…”

“I know how my own partner is feeling; I could tell he was upset. I do care _just_ enough to notice that.” Lee spat

“Oh did you? I must have missed you coming to support him then. Flying visit to cheer him up was it?” Luke growled back.

“You’re making excuses. Trying to cheer him up feeling him up? You think I’m a fucking idiot?”

“He wasn’t upset, he was miserable! I saw him talk to you and he would change for that five minuets and go right back to how he was afterwards. We were all so worried about him – Philippa was gonna make you come down you know? Ask anyone, be my guest, but I think Martin may have already told you what was right infront of everyone’s eyes.”

“I didn’t…” Lee let his anger go for a moment when he realised this was exactly what Richard was doing, “why would he hide that?”

“I don’t know why, but I suppose you shouldn’t feel too bad for not knowing. This is the guy who spent most of his time near collapsing on set and didn’t say a word sp that filming would keep going, he could hide anything he wanted from anyone over a phone call.”

Lee was picking furiously at the seam on the elbow of his jumper, a cold creeping feeling in his stomach. “So you did what you did to try and make him happy?” 

“We were all trying to cheer him up. It wasn’t ideal, I know, but I did what I could and it got out of hand- where you never bothered before? Did you even notice?”

“Fuck you, I noticed.”

“So you weren’t bothered.” Lee knew his silence was as good as saying yes and kicked the sofa. “Then why the fuck are you all arsey about it now?”

“You did it in public…”

“You run and hide from doing public appearances with him!”

“That is a joint decision.”

“Is it now?”

Lee let out a hollow laugh, “And here I though you wanted to apologise!”

“I’ve apologised to Richard, and I’m explaining myself to you. After what you said about me, about Richard, you should be glad I'm even talkin' to you…” Luke’s voice wavered into a shout and he trailed off, the both of them falling silent for a moment before Luke sighed. “Look, alright, no-one here is innocent, we’ve all fucked up but you should know that I wasn’t trying to…break you guys up. He knows what me actually flirting is like, he knows I stopped actually pursuing him when you two started hanging out more because you looked at him like was the most perfect thing in the world and I was not going to get in the way of that...”

 Lee had never once noticed he had ‘competition’ for any affections Richard might have going. When Lee should have been focussed on Thranduil he was being consumed by Richard who did not even know he was doing it. When Lee should have been concentrating on his Elven grace he was watching Richard from across the gym at weapons training feeling like he could never be able to touch something so perfect.When he should have been making character notes he would be talking with the dwarves, a warm feeling in his chest when Richard would chat to him about everything and nothing. He felt himself smile at the memory of when he had gone to Richard for help with his Sindar that he did not really need and Richard had looked up at him, his whole being lighting up as he laughed at one of his own stupid jokes, and Lee had been lost.  

  “Did Richard know?” The anger Lee had directed at Luke started to dissipate as he realised that if he had not taken that chance while out running that day things could have been very different. “Did he know how much you liked him?”

Luke sighed, “I’m not sure…”

“That is something we should…”

“Christ Lee, where are you?”

“What's that got to do with you?"

“If you’re not with him now you’re a bigger idiot that I thought when Evie told me what you said.” Luke sounded genuinely angry and Lee blinked at the Christmas tree. “You need to talk to him, there has been a massive failure in communication here and you haven’t sorted it out yet, no matter what you’ve said to him _over the phone_.”

  That Luke thought Lee was treating Richard badly rung loud and clear down the line. Instead of making Lee even more pissed off he felt cowed because Luke was right. Richard had practically told Lee he had been though a bad relationship before now and here was Lee still in Texas instead of being with him to apologise and offer comfort. “I shouldn’t ever have accused either of you of fucking around; Richard would never do that to anyone. I was going through guilt and anger transferral…”

“Woah, getting too technical for me now. Besides, that’s for you to say to Richard when you go see him. He thinks he’s the one that’s fucked up and we both know he hasn’t.”

“I will, and I am sorry.”

“Don’t leave it or everyone will get involved…”

“They’re already involved, Martin’s threatened me.”

“He hasn’t really or you’d be cowering behind Richard right now. Sir.Ian will hear about it soon and I don’t even want to know what he’ll do to you for upsetting his favourite Dwarf.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the wait and the short chapter. I have been SWAMPED with life atm (that bugger).   
> This was supposed to be a part of a much longer chapter that is still being hammered out , but I was feeling bad for not updating for so long + it was taking FOREVER re-drafting something so big (heh) atm, and tbh it works well on it's own.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lee does the right thing, there is Richard + soapy water, poetry, Batman sheets, and Lee has jet-lag.

 

Apparently ‘Leicester’ and ‘outside Leicester’ were not distinctions made around here because Lee had gone through countryside to get to this tiny, _tiny_ , village that was not near the city the taxi had driven around to get him here. 

 Lee really, _really_ hoped the taxi driver would not fuck with a poor lost American, especially just after Christmas.

  Richard had said the village he had grown up in was small, but somehow Lee never thought it was this small. And the house! Growing up in America and Saudi had obviously made his expectation of house sizes a little warped because he was sure his room as a kid had beenhalf as big as this house’s floor plan!

  He watched the Taxi disappear off up the road as he pulled his coat, well Richard’s coat, tighter around him to keep out the gales, and shuffled closer to the door. Christopher had not so subtly messaged Lee the address of where they would be spending Christmas just as Lee was about to ask him, he supposed he deserved the sense of shame that came with taking so long Richard’s brother had stepped in.

  All the lights were on in the house. If the taxi driver had lied to him at least he could hope for somewhere warm to call up Richard and demand he come get him.

  He pressed the doorbell and waited.

There was noise inside and he listened closely.

“Rich, go answer the door!”

“I’m washing up!”

“Well, you’re up already!”

“Get off your arse and do it.”

“Boys!” The voice of their mother rang out and there was silence so Lee rang the door again, a silly smile on his face despite himself.

After a few moments the door opened and Abe was there, finger at his lips to shush Lee while he beckoned him to follow.

 Compared to the storm thrashing Britain at the moment the inside of the house was positively tropical. Lee could feel the warmth stinging his cheeks as he followed the boy to the back of the house, leaving his bag at the living room door and smiling nervously at the gathered Armitage family who were silently waving at him from infront of the fire.

  Abe showed him into the narrow kitchen that smelt of the most wonderful food and Lee forlornly remembered the aeroplane food he had been too nervous to eat. Richard was at the sink, baggy blue snowflake print jumper pushed up past his elbows and loose chinos hanging low on his hips.

  “Uncle, I found somethin’ else.” Abe spoke up, barely keeping the smile off his face.

Richard sighed from the sink as he put another dish on the rack to dry. “Put it over here Abe, thanks.”

  Lee crept over to Richard’s side and cleared his throat. “I don’t think I’ll fit up there, if I’m honest.”

Richard froze with his hands in the soapy water and turned ever so slowly to look at Lee, a lock of hair come loose to sit on his forehead.  The fibre-optic Christmas tree on the windowsill threw a myriad of colours playing over his face and caught in the brightness of his eyes as he rapidly blinked up at Lee, lips just parted in surprise.

  Lee felt pressure build up behind his eyes and realised he was going to cry he was so happy to see him. “Surprise!” Lee chocked as tears began to well in his eyes.

Richard’s face crumpled as he let out a sob and suddenly Lee’s arms were full of 6”2 and a bit of the man he loved. He could not care less that wet hands were pressing into his coat or through his hair, all he cared about was the warm face crying into the side of his neck. Lee wrapped his arms tightly around his waist, probably a little too tightly, nuzzling into Richard’s hair as he tried to breathe in deeply to calm down but it just filled his senses with that clean, spicy scent and he felt a few tears escape as he was held tighter.  “ _O, what freedom from care is more joyful, than when the mind lays down its burden, and weary, back home from foreign toil, we rest in the bed we longed for?”_ Lee whispered and he felt Richard smile against his skin.

  “You quoting Catullus at me?”

 “Is that who wrote it?” Richard laughed and Lee pressed kisses to his hair. “All I know is that it’s about coming home…” Lee knew Richard would get it and beamed when he felt wet hands come to cup his face and he pulled back just enough to kiss those lips, hoping he could convey how much he missed them and how much he was sorry to have ever made their owner anything less that happy.

 “You can’t have come all this way for Uncle Richard’s bed.” Came a voice from behind them and Lee choked as Richard jumped away from him, his face quickly turning maroon. “It’s so small you can’t both fit!”

“ABEL!” Richard cried, the boy just laughed knowingly and ran from the room.

 Lee stood looking sheepishly at Richard as the sounds of Abe telling the family, ‘It’s all okay, they were crying a bit and I thought we’d made uncle sad but they were kissing so…” washed over them before he was silenced and the sounds of doors closing left the rest of the house silent.

 “Richard I…”

“I just want to ask, can we leave talking about stuff until tomorrow?  I’m so happy to see you I don’t want to…to bring it all up right now. Besides you must be exhausted and it won’t be fair on either of us.”

“Promise tomorrow?”

“Promise.” Richard shot Lee a small smile as he looked around for the dish towel.

“Here, let me help.” Lee offered quietly and slotted in next to Richard to start drying as he finished the washing and started to put away. “I’m sorry for just, ya know, dropping in. Chris gave me the address out of nowhere and I am so glad 'cause I had booked flights over and I didn’t even know where you were I was just gonna come to the village and I dunno, call you or wait for you I wasn’t really thinking straight….” Lee chattered away until Richard bumped his shoulder.

 “Do you want anything to eat or drink or…”

“I wouldn’t mind something hot and then going to bed, if I can be cheeky. I haven’t been sleeping well.”  Richard gave him a  concerned look and Lee thought he was going to burst into tears again but held it together to watch Richard potter around making him hot chocolate. “I hope I’m not being a hassle in just turning up- I’ll sleep on the floor if there isn’t room…”

“No-one has ever slept on the floor in this house, trust me. And despite what Abe said, I can get two people in my room. Even people as huge as us. It’ll be fine don’t worry.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m just…” Richard looked over him, his whole demeanour lit up by the sweet smile on his face. “I didn’t think people actually flew across the world on the spur of the moment as a surprise. Only people in films do that…”

“By now the credits should be rolling.”

“They’re just not brave enough to show the washing up scene.”

 

Richard’s childhood room was a strange mix of bookish, shy boy and enthusiastic performer; the area of wall over his desk to his bed covered in shelves packed with booked while his wardrobe was plastered with dancing and music certificates along with awards from school.  Lee tried to sneak a look at them but caught the pink tinge on Richard’s ears so he went to get changed and brush his teeth in the bathroom, sighing at how tired his reflection looked.

  Lee paused in the corridor outside Richard’s room, listening to the muffled chatter downstairs and the rain pattering against the roof. He found he had a sudden bout of embarrassment about sharing a room with Richard with his parents and brother’s family in the rooms around them even though he knew nothing would be going on tonight. He slowly opened the door so Richard knew he was coming in, not that it mattered if Lee caught him changing now but he felt like after all that had happened he owed Richard that little bit of space.

He was already in his night clothes sat on the end of his bed flicking through his kindle, lit by the soft light of the bed side lamp. Lee stood watching him for a moment before quietly closing the door, smiling softly when Richard looked up at him. “I’ve put your bag over here by the wardrobe and I plugged your phone and tablet into charge.” He hopped up and pointed to the truckle bed he’d pulled out to sit in the space between his bed and desk, fully made with batman sheets. “I uh… they were mine. Mum uses them for Abe usually when we all come up. He usually sleeps in here …” Lee felt a little incredulous that he was taking a little boy’s bed; he should be in the dog house both metaphorically and literally.

“If I’ve, like, messed up sleeping arrangements I’ll take the couch.”

“No it’s fine… they all plotted it out it seems. Chris is on a camping bed while Abe shares with Susan.” Richard shifted awkwardly a moment as Lee contemplated if Richard was trying to kill him with kindness. “That’s the same size as the big bed but it feels more cramped with the desk on one side so you can have my one if you want…”

 Richard treating him like a friend, not even a lover in trouble, was too much. Lee could have taken his displeasure, even his anger, but this was torture.

 “Just shout at me. Please just tell me off or give me a dirty look or make me stay on the couch. I know you’re still angry with me, upset and…and… I said something terrible and not treated you as I should …” The look of concern was back on Richard’s face which made it all the worse. Lee knew he was babbling again, brought on by jet-lag and nerves no doubt, but he really needed Richard to know how sorry he was. “If you’re going to forgive me I need to show you how sorry I am, because I am. I will do anything to make it up to you…”

“You don’t need to do penance for me.”

“I will, I will. I will walk to Jerusalem...”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“…I’d go barefoot if you asked.”

“Lee!” 

“Richard…”

“Do you want me to be angry with you?” 

“Kinda. I feel so bad and you being nice to me is making it so much worse.”

Richard took the bundle of Lee’s clothes from him and dropped it at their feet, holding Lee’s hands in his own. “I am angry, but on my way to not being angry. I don’t feel I can be because I’m not… you should be annoyed with me too, I kinda provoked you so...”

“Firstly, we should both have never let it get to where it did and secondly, I should never have lashed out.”

 “If you want a punishment, Lee, it can be me not screaming at you whilst you know I’m angry.”

 “That’s cruel but fair…so am I back at zero base?”

He raised an eyebrow at Lee, the look that always made Lee aware of how ridiculous he was. “What’s first base again?”

“Making out.”

“You’re half on first base. What about me?”

“Fourth,” Lee said quietly, already keeping himself to his unsworn declaration of clear, honest communication, “Always- anytime, anywhere, any place, any how.”

He could see the blush even in the half light as Richard’s eyes skittered away before looking back up at him, “Sometimes I think you… you love me too much.”

“You make it very easy.”

Richard sighed, gave Lee’s hands a squeeze and let them go. “I’ll just…” They shuffled around one another so he could get to the door. “Make yourself comfortable.” He gestured to the bed before slipping into the hall way.

 Lee crawled onto the truckle bed and cocooned himself in the blankets that smelled of the room and of their owner. He did not hear Richard come back in so he must have fallen fast asleep not long after laying his face in the pillow, coming to at midnight at the ping of an angry email from his agent that was given a half awake glance, his eyes snapping open fully awake at four am.

 He sat up and used the dull light from his phone screen to look at Richard, or the tuft of dark hair and a quarter of a face peeking out over the covers, his long lashes resting just so on his cheek, his breathing deep and gentle. Lee laid back down when he realised he was being creepy and shot off a reply to his agent and mailed his mom, flicking through Amazon until he heard movement and quiet voices at the top of the stairs outside the door.

 Lee took one more look at Richard, who had rolled further onto his back, and decided not to wake him as he put on a hoodie and ventured downstairs.

The whole family was gathered in the hallway talking quietly amongst themselves as Lee came and stood on the middle of the stairs watching them. Richard’s dad was first to catch sight of him and gave him a curt nod with an edge of something chilly in his eyes and Lee was as relieved as he was shamed that someone in this family was openly displeased with him.

 “Hello Lee, it’s nice to see you again, sorry I didn’t get to say so last night.” Richard’s mother came up to him, Lee bending to kiss her cheek, “We thought it might be best to leave you two the house today to have a chat, about…well, about this misunderstandin’.”

“But the weather is still gonna be bad today…”

“Oh, don’t worry about us, pet. We’re used to this ‘round ‘ere. We’re going to town, Birmingham, to see family. You two take all the time you need and I expect to see a genuine smile on our Richard’s face when we get back.” She reached up to pat his cheek, “And yours too while you’re about it. Help yourself to whatever you want in the kitchen.”

She went back down the stairs as the family started to file out, giving Lee nods of greeting or ignoring him as they went past. Christopher was the only other person to come up to him, “Our Richard’s never been too good with people, always shy as a little one on account of always being tall, ya’ see. His first secondary school was not for him either, the boys in the class above didn’t care that he was a gentle little soul and he couldn’t make friends easy.” He shuffled on the step a little as if looking for what to say next. “I know he did as he shouldn’t, he is sorry for it, but when he doesn’t know what to do he tends to follow what the nearest adept person does. It doesn’t happen too often since he turned nineteen, he came back from Budapest a stubborn bastard deep down. But, ya know, he wobbles under stress.”

 “I wouldn’t say stubborn. He know’s his own mind, sure…”

“Well he’s not given you the shove after what you did so I would call that pretty stubborn.” He clapped Lee on the arm and jogged back down the stairs. “Don’t tell him I said any of this either or he’ll sit on me ‘ead.”

 

Lee sat at one end of the couch, two cups of tea on the coffee table infront of them, nibbling a slice of toast as he listened to the sound of the rain rushing against the windows and the wind screaming down the street outside or hammering the back of the house. The storm was strangely soothing this morning, unlike landing in the middle of it yesterday when he had regretted most of his life choices and said his prayers.

  Richard came down not long after Lee was settled, wrapped up in his Hobbit hoodie and Pyjama trousers that did not quite reach his ankles, flopping down at the opposite end of the couch to Lee with a look of impending doom on his face that Lee wanted to kiss away.

“Your mom said they were all going out to town today, all day. I told them they didn’t have to for our sake ‘cause, ya know, the end of the world outside but…”

“As a nation we’d rather he blown away than endure awkwardness.”  He said quietly into his tea, glancing at Lee before rubbing his face nervously. “Umm…Luke called me and apologised the other day.”

“He called me too, and shouted at me.”

“What!”

“Not like that. We were both a little…heated. Martin was worse.” Richard grimaced in sympathy, “Yeah we talked some stuff through, mainly why circumstances lead to me being a shithead. I know I have more to apologise for, mainly not noticing how you were feeling…”

“He told you about how I…”

“Yeah…yeah he did. I don’t think Luke wanted to tell me, he said it to get my butt in gear- I didn’t want to pretend I didn’t know, especially as I let myself to be ignorant about it.”

“No, not ignorant. I didn’t want you to know.”

“That is something we are going to have to sort out. It’s not healthy…”

“I want you to be content, Lee. I want to…I want to please you.” Lee let out noise of protest, a little taken aback by that quiet omission, physically biting his lower lip to let Richard continue. “I don’t always feel good enough.” Richard somehow folded his long, long legs up so there were pressed to his chest with his feet flat on the sofa cushion. “I know I’m not worthy of you loving me, for some reason you think I am…but I’m not.”

“Oh Richard…”

“We were in a bubble in New Zealand, a safe little world that was filled with the same people every day; day in, day out. Luke coming onto me I put down to proximity but I was still confused as to why me because, I mean, why me when you were there? Then, out of nowhere, you kissed me and wanted to date me and I was… I didn’t know what to feel but the reoccurring thought was ‘ _what the fuck?_ ’.” Richard shot him a genuinely incredulous look as he spoke, “ _’What the fuck does he want me for?’_ At first I thought it was an on set thing, but why would you be so patient with me if not? That’s why I didn’t sleep with you any…any earlier; I trusted you, I love you, but there was always that worry I was just company, ya know? Or that as soon as we went back into the world we would fall apart- you would find someone better. Which is a really, really shit thing to think about you because when you’re looking at me like you are now it… I don’t think anyone could look at someone like that and not mean it.”

“There is no-one on this planet for me, not now I’ve loved you.” Lee wanted to tell Richard that he had suspected it when Richard first smiled at him, knew it when Richard had pulled him into a kiss without any prompting from Lee. Had carved it into his heart when Richard had said he loved him so quietly and casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to love him. But he looked so vulnerable and fragile right now, curled up with his bare toes digging into the cushion, Lee thought it best not to dump such strong emotions on him; from the mixed look of embarrassment and despair Richard shot him what he had said may have been too much.

“I can’t say things like that to you. I can’t declare these things like you can, I can’t. It’s not how I am. I feel exactly the same about you, I can only try and show you but even that isn’t easy. I hope you see it…”

“I do see it and I don’t need you to tell me, I can see it. I think I didn’t see how sad you were because I didn’t want to see you sad, or to deal with the fact I made you sad and it just blew up in my face.”

“I should never have let Luke be like that in front of the camera’s. I knew how it would have looked to you and I did it anyway because you had fucked off to do TV and left me, again. Luke is a great friend, but I would have rather seen Madrid and Berlin with you. I was miserable and pissed off. Which I know is no excuse, but now you know.”

They sat in silence for a little while, Richard gripping his tea and staring at the carpet whilst Lee picked at the seam of his yoga pants.

“When I saw him and you, with his arm around you or joking or singing to you or asking you all these questions and singing your praises and just…the way he was looking at you. He did it so easily and I cannot, because they will find out, the journalists will find out one day and it will be hell. We've both known people caught in media storms and I will protect you from that - I will give them nothing, and if I'm with you they will see and dig. We have to be careful where we hold hands and I saw Luke fucking _serenading you_  and I just lashed out.”

“I know, I know…we both did. I'm sorry. We all fucked up.”

“Yeah.” Lee sighed, sharing a small smile with Richard as he glanced over at him.

“I…” Richard pressed his cheek against his knee for a moment, took another sip of tea, and turned back to look at Lee. “There was never the right moment for me to tell you all this. I wanted to tell you in person but we were so busy and content in Welly and you were wonderfully distracting. Then we were running around London and suddenly we were fighting and after that we were never right. Really right, like we had been- I didn’t want to bring anything up because we kept on having arguments and I did not want us to part at all let alone with another row hanging over us.”

“I don’t…” Lee started, but Richard held up a hand and Lee sat back slightly.

“This is so…this is so stupid and completely me being awkward, not being able to get the words out but…but… you know…” Richard sighed, straightening his back and held his head up like Thorin, forcing himself to be brave to say what he wanted to say. “When you said all those things about me having lovers, I thought you were going to ask if a third person could join us, join me, at one point in the future. I know I reacted...”

“Leaving me laying on your floor feeling like I was about to float away into the sun after you gave me the bow job of my life.” Lee piped up when he faltered; feeling his cheeks pink at the amused look Richard gave him.

“Quite… I didn’t react badly and I though about if I would agree to it because…and then on my birthday you…you would have fucked me into the counter if I hadn’t stopped you and you _knew_ Luke was coming that early so I thought you were going to ask right then, with Luke looking on, and I was scared.”

“I would never do that! Never, and neither would Luke.”

“I know that, I _knew that_ but for that moment I thought you would and I felt so terrible. How could I think that of you? I couldn’t tell you that!”

Lee reached out and wrapped his hand around Richard’s narrow, strong ankle, feeling his palm warm the cooled skin, leaning forward slightly to hold Richard’s clear, overly bright blue gaze. “You think of me whatever you want to think of me, you worry about whatever you want to worry, but from this moment we must both promise to always tell the other. Richard, I promise you I will discuss in full everything that involved us and most things that do not- I will not just throw them at you. I was being a prick and I will never not be sorry that I was telling you what to do and not taking the chance to talk to you, I love watching you talk. I promise you I will not be a ‘tosser’ as you so eloquently called me, ever again. The sound of you in tears because of me is the worst sound in the world, I will make sure that never happens again.”

  “And I promise to tell you all my neurotic thoughts and worries, and to also not be a tosser, until you throw me in an asylum.” Richard was smiling at Lee, face flushed with the same kind of happiness that he had glowed with when he saw Lee last night, eyes the same warm pure blue as the seas around India and Lee was being a sappy sod but he did not care one bit.

“I lose myself in you so easily I think I’m the one we’d need to get help for.” Lee squeezed Richard’s ankle, whispering so he could just be heard over the storm outside. “If we would not be questioned or denied existence in most places we went, if being married was not about to be pulled out from under us at the drop of the hat I would ask you now, right now. But if I got you as a husband and then suddenly to be told you were not any more because some other people voted on a law I…”

Richard’s face had gone slack in the most open look of shock Lee had ever seen before a nervous giggle forced its way out of his throat. “Did you just… was that a…was that a proposal?” His voice went up a few octaves and Lee held back a chuckle.

“A suggestion, for us to think about when the time is right.”

Richard looked at Lee like he had grown another head that was suddenly spouting fire before he let out a hysterical laugh, clapping a hand over his mouth when he let out a very undignified snort that had Lee doubling over to laugh into Richard’s knee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this end here????
> 
> Yes
> 
> BUT
> 
> There are a few things I have been thinking about of that will appear as fic's a little later, when I get it done, so this may become a series.
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos, the comments, and for reading. You are all fab *throws confetti*

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at RPF fic, in fact this is only my second fanfic but I had an idea that would not go away and it kept growing.  
> It gets smuttier in later chapters.  
> Unbeta'd  
> Title comes from Catullus.31


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